There was a good chance that Californians would have joined the many sports enthusiasts across the nation who are taking advantage of legalized sports betting, but it appears that the Golden State won’t be joining the celebration just yet.
Both Proposition 27, which might establish locally regulated sports betting in California, and Proposition 26, which sought to legalize sports betting in land-based casinos and racetracks, were put to a vote by Californians, however, both failed to pass (source: https://www.basketballinsiders.com/ca/).
Voters were ultimately turned off by the idea of California mobile sports betting by confusing advertising that was both in favor of and against the legislation.
Californians are passionate about their sports teams, so if online sportsbooks are made legal, the most recent California sportsbook deposit bonus and California sportsbook promo code may become quite popular. Until California legalizes online sports betting, gamblers can participate in the state’s current sports betting options at racetracks.
How Californians Can Bet On Sports When Legalized
There are different bets you can place, so it’s important that before you start randomly betting on players or teams, you understand what each term means and how it can affect your bet.
- Against the spread – Betting against the spread is simply shorthand for wagering on the point spread of a particular game rather than the moneyline or another form of wagering option. Bettors frequently look at a team’s record against the spread to determine how well the team did against the odds.
- Push – A push occurs when the outcome predicted by the betting line actually occurs. A game is considered a push when the underdog team wins by the same number of points as the favorite. A tie occurs when the final score is 30-24 and the total score of the game is 54.
- Teaser – This is a specialized form of betting in which the point spread can be altered to make it simpler for the bettor to cover. You may use a six-point teaser to decrease each of your favorite football teams from a seven-point favorite to a -1 favorite, which means they only need to cover the spread by two points. This strategy is useful if you are unclear whether your favorite football teams will cover their spreads, or not.
The History Of Online Sports Betting
In 2017, it was attempted by Assemblymember Adam Gray to introduce a constitutional amendment to legalize sports betting in the event that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was repealed. However, the attempt was unsuccessful. PASPA was struck down by the Supreme Court of the United States in 2018, but the state of California was not allowed to reconsider the matter until the year after that.
In 2019, Gray and Senator Bill Dodd each submitted legislation in their respective houses of the state legislature to include a ballot question on the topic of legalizing sports betting. However, before those proposals could even get a hearing, the powerful tribes introduced a new initiative that was designed to restrict legal sports betting to tribal casinos and racetracks only. The COVID-19 pandemic, on the other hand, made it impossible for the tribes to collect the required number of signatures in order to ensure that their proposal would be included on the ballot in 2020. This plan was ultimately unsuccessful.
During this time, Gray and Dodd continued to work on their proposals, adding provisions that would make it possible for tribal casinos and racetracks to offer retail and online sports betting and would also provide some legal backing for card rooms in the state of California. The latter plan was met with opposition from the tribes, and as a result, they chose not to back the measures. In June of the year 2020, Senators Dodd and Gray withdrew their measure after it became apparent that it would not move forward in time to fulfill the deadline for inclusion on the ballot in November.
After that, the tribes refocused their efforts on getting their proposal on the ballot in 2024, and they were ultimately successful in doing so (as did supporters of an initiative that would legalize online sports betting). This is the point where the conversation currently sits.
What Is Legal In California?
While sports betting didn’t make the list, there are several other activities you can legally bet on.
- Tribal Casinos – There are 69 registered tribal casinos where you may play slot machines, lottery games, card games like blackjack and baccarat, and games like poker where players wager against one other rather than the house.
- Card rooms – You can compete against other players in games including poker and pai gow at any one of the 84 card clubs that have been granted a gaming license. Drawings are one example of an alternative to card games that are sometimes offered in card rooms. They are not allowed to provide any games in which the players compete against the casino.
- Lottery – You can purchase scratch-off tickets and fill out entry forms for various drawings, such as the MegaMillions and the PowerBall, at any of the state’s approximately 23,000 retail locations, which include gas stations and convenience stores.
- Horse racing – At any of the state’s 23 simulcast places, in which you can watch the race on TV and make a wager. At the same time, you can place a wager on a horse race at one of the state’s privately owned horse racing tracks, one of the state’s five racing fairs, or at any of the state’s four private horse racing fairs. With online advance deposit wagering, you can place a bet from the comfort of your own home, or from anywhere else in the world.
- Charitable gaming – Bingo can be played for philanthropic purposes in some municipalities and counties, and certain charitable organizations are allowed to hold card nights and raffles to raise money for their causes.
The Future Of Online Sports Betting
The earliest that Californians will be able to vote on sports betting is in November 2024, so in the meantime, you’ll have to find other ways to fill up your free time; you can watch a romance movie on Netflix instead. The organizations listed below are likely to make another attempt to legalize sports betting in the state. They were incredibly unpopular this year, therefore they will probably adjust their marketing tactics to achieve this.
