Deadline Extended For California Sports Betting Ballot Initiative

• Californians may see sports betting on their November 2022 ballots.
• The tribes in the state have until May 26 to submit the required verified signatures to be able to get the issue on the ballot.
• As of April 29, only half of the signatures needed were verified to be submitted.

LOS ANGELES – California has until the end of May to get sports betting back on the table for a possible 2023 launch. The counties of Los Angeles and San Diego have until May 26 to verify signatures for the petition to get tribal sports betting on the November 2022 ballot. As of December 14, 2020, over 1.4 million signatures were collected.

The original date for verification was April 22, but circumstances allowed for an extension of another month. In order to get sports betting on the ballot, 997,139 signatures are required by law. While over a million were received, each must be verified as a valid signature.

What’s Next For California’s Sports Betting Journey

If regulated through a public vote, retail sportsbooks would be opened at private horse racing tracks in four different counties in the state immediately. Then tribal casinos would be granted regulated sports betting licenses through new tribal gaming compacts. However, the drawback is each of the four counties needs to verify their petition’s signatures to ensure they are real people.

As of April 29, 442,495 signatures have been verified. The four counties involved need to submit all of their signatures before the extended deadline to be considered for the November 2022 ballot. No mobile sportsbooks would be available in California through this initiative.

Regulated sports betting in California is something that has been wanted by lawmakers for quite some time. It came close in 2020, but too much conflict with the push for commercial sports betting and the tribes’ opposition had proposals pulled from consideration. Should Californians vote to regulate the pastime in 2022, sportsbooks would launch in 2023.

Could California Have Regulated Sportsbooks Soon?

California sports gaming is closer than ever if the signatures can be counted and submitted in time to get the issue on the ballot. The California Legalize Sports Betting on American Indian Lands Initiative could make that happen.

Being put on the November 2022 ballot for residents to vote on is also required because of the constitutional amendment the Golden State requires for any gaming expansions.

News tags: California | California Constitution | California Legalize Sports Betting on American Indian Lands Initiative | Los Angeles | San Diego