Earlier this month, the Sports Betting Alliance unveiled a plan to bring legal sports betting to California, promising to pay for an initiative while allowing the state’s tribes to run it, as a new article shared. Turns out, Indian Country is considering the same plan. There is still much that has to happen before an initiative is sent to California voters, but two years ago, such a conversation would have been unimaginable. Moreover, 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. That entity would then contract with national operators to offer online sports betting in the most populous state in the U.S.
For this article, SBS will be going over what to look for from the latest gaming news coming from California, along with some additional notes and info regarding SBS and beyond.
Noted in another article, in the clearest sign yet that tensions are thawing on sports gambling in California, leaders of DraftKings and FanDuel spoke at an Indian gaming conference Monday about their desire to partner – not compete – with tribes to bring sports betting to the state. “There is no other way to do it,” Jason Robins, CEO and co-founder of DraftKings, reflected on the industry’s hard-earned lessons from the 2022 election.
Robins was joined on stage by Christian Genetski, president of FanDuel, and Victor Rocha, a high-profile leader of California tribes who serves as the conference chair of the annual tradeshow and also founded the tribal gaming news site, Pechanga.net. It was a friendly conversation about the intersection of sports betting and tribal operations across the country. “We want to understand what tribal sovereignty means to the tribes,” Genetski, before a packed crowd at the San Diego Convention Center, the site of this year’s Indian Gaming Tradeshow and Convention said.
The panel discussion, titled “The Power of Partnerships: Aligning with Established Gaming Brands,” was promoted as an exploration of “collaborative models that leverage brand recognition, shared resources, and industry expertise to drive growth while preserving tribal sovereignty.” Indeed, Rocha then asked Genetski and Robins about their companies’ partnerships in other states, the article said. This gave the executives a chance to expound on their corporate efforts to attend pow wows and get to know tribal communities.
“We understand we’re going to be in a relationship for decades when FanFuel partners with a tribe,” Genetski said. But you could argue that the panel really served as a public show of the ongoing reconciliation between the sports betting giants and California’s gaming tribes. A development that could ultimately unlock access to the state’s highly valuable sports betting market, which at the moment remains legally off limits. “California is the one (state) that can have the biggest impact on our growth long term,” Robins said.
Also noted in the report, California’s sports gaming market is universally regarded as a gold mine, with annual revenues conservatively projected at $3 billion if it can ever be legalized in the state. Even after the state’s bruising ballot box battle over sports gaming in 2022, the global gaming industry has long understood that sports gaming would eventually be legalized in California simply because the potential profits are too great. But first, the first two factions in that bitter fight, which reportedly was the most expensive ballot campaign in U.S. history, need to come together. The latest panel discussion suggests they’re on the way, with Rocha, a vocal defender of tribes and tribal sovereignty leading the way.
“You have to walk it like you talk it because we pay attention,” Rocha said. The November 2022 election pitted sports gaming companies like DraftKings and FanDuel against California tribes in overlapping campaigns for competing ballot measures. Proposition 26, supported by gaming tribes, would have legalized in-person sports betting at tribal casinos and horse racing tracks. Proposition 27, meanwhile, backed by large online gambling companies, including DraftKings and FanDuel, would have legalized online sports betting.
As regular readers of this space are aware, both measures failed, with about $460 million in campaign dollars being wasted on the effort. But the outcome was an unambiguous one win for California’s powerful tribes, who through their ability to essentially skuttle both measures showed they hold all the keys to the Golden State’s gaming market. At the Indian gaming conference last year, tribal leaders openly declared that they would decide when sports gaming will come to California and made it clear that the tribes will control it. This, of course, includes having companies like DraftKings and FanDuel serving only as vendors, not operators.
However, even in the midst of the tribes’ “braggadocio,” the article notes, there were signs that the sports gaming giants were trying to build bridges. At last year’s conference in Anaheim, a contrite Amy Howe, the CEO of FanDuel, acknowledged the 2022 election was a “spectacular failure” and that her side “learned a lot.”
“It will be up to the tribes when it (sports gaming legalization) happens, how it happens and what role,” businesses like FanDuel get to play in it, she said. By then, FanDuel had already taken extensive measures to curry favor with California tribes, and the efforts seem to have continued since then.
After you are all up to speed in relation to the latest gaming updates and notes coming from the Golden State, make sure to check out the excellent array of info for you over at SBS. Of course, for even more info on the state covered here, the California sports betting guide is here for all the latest info on the topic. Additionally, the best bonus betting sites breakdown is an excellent resource for qualified customers to go over a catalogue of the latest welcome bonus offers. Finally, for those who are eligible, the VIP sports betting sites rundown is an excellent page to check out if you are interested in some higher-stakes wagering.
About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football and basketball across the country. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones. CURRENTLY Business Development and freelance sports writing RESIDES IN Reno, NV EDUCATION University of Nevada BS and MBA EXPERTISE -Sports writing proficiency in: NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and some motor sports -Topical news -Promotional and marketing ideas/updates -Business development Summary Chris Boline serves in a business development sales capacity as his day job. He has previously held sales/marketing positions with The Applied Companies (TAC), KTVN 2 News and the NBA G League’s Reno Bighorns, affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. He is a Reno native and is a member of various community boards including the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET and the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA). Chris graduated from the University of Nevada in 2015 with a bachelors in management and economics and also earned his MBA from Nevada in 2023. More about Chris: Past president of the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA) 2022-23 Two-time honoree for University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year (Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, 2017 & COBAA, 2021) 2021 NCET award for Professional Services Organization of the Year with TAC Northern Nevada Human Resources Association 2020 Best Places to Work-Northern Nevada, Second Place with TAC 2016-17 Reno Bighorns MVP from the Sacramento Kings The Nevada Sagebrush editor-in-chief 2013-15 Associated Collegiate Press 2015 Four-year Non-daily Newspaper Pacemaker honoree University of Nevada, Reno College of Business Dean's List honoree (5x) from 2011-2015 Nevada Press Association award for Best Sports Column – Community in 2015 Education
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