Adam Roarty is a journalist covering sports betting, regulation, and industry innovation for CasinoBeats. His coverage includes tax increases in the UK, covering breaking stories in the ever-evolving landscape of US betting such as the...
Read Full BioMembers of the Sports Betting Alliance’s (SBA) Tribal Advisory Council are circulating a ‘YES Pledge‘ document that advocates legalizing online sports betting in California.
The document states, “We, the undersigned Tribal Nations of California, commit to working together to secure voter or legislative approval of a tribally governed framework for online sports betting”.
Jeff Grubbe, former Chairman of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, is one of the tribal leaders who has publicly supported the pledge.
He says, “This pledge has been shaped, discussed, and advanced by tribal leaders with the aim of benefiting all tribes.” He added that commercial operators were informed of its contents but had no role in drafting it.
“Importantly, operators had no input in its creation,” he told InGame. “They were merely informed of its contents. It came out of regional meetings, put on by the tribal leaders who sit on the SBA Tribal Advisory Council, where every California tribe was invited to participate in shaping and giving input on a sports betting framework that would benefit all tribes.”
A new report also shows that voters may support legalization. In 2022, California residents rejected proposals to legalize online sports betting, with only 30% voting in favor of Proposition 26 and a significantly lower percentage supporting Proposition 27.
However, the latest survey, conducted by Politico, puts support at around 60%. If tribal groups also signed on to support legislation, California could soon make the landmark move of legalization.
CNIGA Denounces Push as Corporate-Driven
The pledge calls on tribal groups to collaborate with groups such as the California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA) and the SBA. The latter is made up of the country’s biggest sportsbooks (FanDuel, DraftKings, Fanatics, BetMGM, and most recently, bet365).
The CNIGA consists of 53 member tribes, including powerful groups such as Federated Tribes of Graton Rancheria, Pechanga Band of Luisieno Indians, and Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation.
The group’s support would be a huge boost for the push for legalization. However, it has issued its own public letter stating that it does not support the pledge.
The letter, shown below, states, “While CNIGA fully supports the principles of tribal sovereignty and the right of each Tribal Nation to determine its own path in gaming, this effort appears to be a corporate-driven maneuver that has referenced tribal organizations, including CNIGA in ways that may cause confusion among tribes, policymakers, and the public.”
The SBA has been working diligently to convince the CNIGA and other tribes that legalization would benefit everyone.
At the Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention in San Diego, representatives from DraftKings and FanDuel shared the idea of creating a single tribal entity in California, which has 109 tribes. They promised non-gaming tribes an annual payment of at least $10 million if online sports betting were legalized.
DraftKings CEO Jason Robins emphasized that the push to legalize online sports betting must be done in collaboration with Native American tribes. He stated, “Having tribal relationships and partnerships is absolutely essential — there’s no other way to do it here.”
The CNIGA is yet to be convinced, but if a sizable number of tribes sign on to the “YES Pledge,” then they may be forced to consider engaging in meaningful discussions.
Some tribes have lent their support to companies in a push against legislation banning sweepstakes casinos. Convincing tribes to join the push for legal online sports betting may be an easier sell, but as the CNIGA letter signals, it is still a long way off.
