The future of legal sports betting in California is being placed before voters in two vastly different measures this November, as Proposition 27 aims to open up online gambling throughout the state and Prop 26 seeks to allow it only in person at racetracks and tribal casinos.
The following true-false quiz is based on my research of California’s two sports betting propositions:
There are 66 tribal casinos, 84 card rooms, 33 off-track betting facilities and 23,000 stores selling lottery tickets in California: TRUE
All tribes support Prop 26 and Prop 27: FALSE, 30 tribes support Prop 26, eight tribes oppose Prop 27.
Both Prop 26 and Prop 27 pay the same taxes to the state of California. Racetracks will also pay 10% of sports betting revenues, and tribal officials will negotiate with the state for a tax cut: FALSE
All coalition tribal casinos will offer sports betting at their brick-and-mortar casinos if Prop 26 passes: TRUE
Gambling is a $53.7 billion industry in the United States, including sports betting, after the Supreme Court struck down a federal ban on state-authorized sports betting in 2011: TRUE
The playing field is level for Proposition 26 and Proposition 27: FALSE
No online sports betting will be allowed if Prop 26 passes: TRUE
There are no advantages for tribes without casinos if Prop 26 passes: FALSE
Prop 26 will help the state’s homeless problems if passed on Nov. 8: FALSE
Prop 27, if passed, will help the homeless problem in California: FALSE
Four racetracks — Santa Anita, Los Alamitos, Golden Gate and Del Mar — will be licensed and offer sports betting if Prop 26 passes: TRUE
Prop 26 and Prop 27 are quite different: TRUE
Prop 27 will allow Fan Duel, Draft Kings and Bet MGM (outside of California) to bet sports over your phone or device: TRUE
Prop 26 claiming Prop 27 will engage teenage gambling on their phones and devices: FALSE.
Prop 27 suspended advertising two weeks ago, signaling defeat: TRUE.
This is the most expensive ballot fight in U.S. history. They combined to spend over a half-billion dollars to get their sides approved…that’s “B” in billion: TRUE
Nobody expected the card room and other non-tribal casinos to put up a fight: FALSE
Prop 26 will allow tribes to offer roulette and dice games if approved: TRUE
Both propositions confused the public and voters: TRUE
Both sides believe they can win: FALSE
As with every measure or proposition in the state, to pass, one needs to accumulate 50% of the vote: TRUE
$15.7 billion a year is bet with bookies, friends or offshore accounts on sports in California: TRUE
Both Prop 26 and Prop 27 will win: FALSE
The five wealthiest Southern California tribal casinos have backed Prop 26: TRUE.
Tribal Casinos have jumped camp and focused on defeating Prop 27 instead of supporting Prop 26: TRUE
If both propositions fail, the tribes still win, keeping their fingers on the pulse of casino gambling until a similar proposition makes the ballot in 2024: TRUE
One or the other, Prop 26 or Prop 27, will win on Tuesday, November 8: FALSE
The straw polls say both are quite short of the 50% needed to approve: TRUE
My thoughts? A half-billion dollars would have helped the homeless problems within our state: TRUE
Read more information on Prop 26 and Prop 27.
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