California Sports Betting Bill Clears First HurdleBill Passed Senate Committee By 9-3 Vote, Heads To Senate Floor June 9 |
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A bill submitted by a pair of California lawmakers to make sports betting legal in the Golden State cleared its first hurdle Wednesday after the Senate Governmental Organization Committee passed the legislation.
The committee passed the California Sports Wagering and Protection Act, SCA 6, by a 9-3 vote. The bill sponsored by Democrats Sen. Bill Dodd and Asm. Adam Gray, offers an amendment to the state constitution that would legalize betting online and at retail locations on both professional and college athletics.
The bill is now set for a hearing on June 9 on the Senate floor. If it clears the Senate, it will head to the House, and then to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk if it makes it that far. Since the bill would amend the constitution, it will require a two-thirds majority vote from both chambers. If it gets Newsom’s signature, voters will have the final say in November.
There are 22 states with legal sports betting after the Supreme Court overturned PASPA in May 2018 and allowed the issue to be decided state-by-state.
Dodd said that it was time for the state government to get a piece of the action and tax it, rather than allow its citizens to bet on offshore sportsbooks. It is a common argument used by lawmakers when pushing for gambling expansion.
“We have a duty to bring illegal sports wagering out of the shadows and support our communities with the revenue,” said Dodd in a statement. “We can’t afford inaction.”
Early estimates have that tax revenue ranging between $500 and $700 million as the market matures. The legislation comes at a time when many locales are struggling for revenue as shutdowns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic have slowed the economy and decimated its tax base.
According to the California Globe, the legislation is receiving support from all of the major professional sports leagues, as well as FanDuel and DraftKings.
California is the country’s most populous state but has a ton of bumps ahead along the road to legalization with many competing gambling interests in the state. In any bill with a gambling expansion, the commercial cardrooms, tribal casinos and horse tracks battle for legislation to favor their interests.
If the bill is passed, it would allow racetracks and tribal casinos to offer sports betting. The state’s commercial cardrooms would not be allowed to offer it, but would be allowed to offer house-backed card games like blackjack. Tribes currently have exclusivity on those games. In exchange, the tribes would be allowed to expand their offerings to roulette and craps.
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