In late January, California tribal leaders gathered and told ICE participants that they will not put legal sports betting on the 2026 ballot. Per a recent report covering state gaming updates, Indian Country has reached some consensus, but polling indicates voters are not interested. Specifically, California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA) chairman James Siva said tribes have “come too far and have too far to go to rush into this complex sports betting (issue) which is tied to igaming.” His remarks at the event led a chorus during the “State of Gambling in California: Current Trends and Future Prospects” discussion at the ICE convention in Barcelona.
For this report, SBS will be going over the latest gaming news coming from the Golden State along with some additional thoughts and information regarding California wagering.
Noted in the same report, Siva was joined by Pechanga Band of Mission Indians councilmember Catalina Chacon and San Manuel Band of Mission Indians vice chairman Johnny Hernandez. The panel was the last of four put on by the Indian Gaming Association (IGA). Additionally, a how-to guide for working with Indian Country, a history of how San Manuel grew gaming, and a discussion about remaining growth opportunities for tribal sports betting rounded out the conversation. However, the news was the tribes’ announcement that despite feeling pressure from the rise of sweepstakes, they would not pursue another ballot initiative so soon after spending nearly hundreds of millions to defeat a commercial proposal in 2022.
“It’s not going to happen in 2026,” Chacon said. “The data is telling us that the time is not right. Definitely not 2026, we’re looking more like 2028, but it has to include all tribal communities in California.” Hernandez would go on to add. “It has to include all tribes, including non-gaming tribes. I agree with Catalina that all tribes have to be in agreement. Gaming must go through the tribes.”
Noted in the same report, getting all of California Indian Country on the same page is no simple task. There are more than 100 tribes in the state. They range from the wealthy and well-known to rural tribes that struggle to get the most basic services. Pechanga and San Manuel were among the most major contributors in the campaign to defeat Proposition 27 in 2022. Financed by seven commercial sports betting operators, Prop 27 would have legalized digital sports betting across California, but the tribes opposed it.
The tribal mantra, the report points out, continues to be that any gaming expansion must originate in Indian Country. Tribes have exclusivity for Class III gaming and they will not be rushed. “We have come too far to rush into this, potentially damaging the foundation that we have built,” Siva said. “For 2026 we are being very patient. The outlook is looking toward the future.”
The somewhat hidden news from the session is that tribes appear to have reached at least a top-line consensus. Chacon repeatedly used the word “ownership” when talking about legislation. She indicated that this means all tribes must buy into a plan. The discourse is slightly different than it had been previously, when the word was “consensus.”
Also covered in the article, California tribes have what’s called a Revenue Sharing Trust Fund (RSTF) from which gaming tribes currently funnel $1.1 million per year to non-gaming tribes. The RSTF will surely be up for discussion among tribes as they sort out how to share the wealth once sports betting – and eventually online casino games – are legalized. The $1.1 million figure dates back to 1999 and, given inflation and the changing economy, raising it seems to make sense. The idea behind the RSTF is that tribes that are not geographically positioned to have land-based casinos can still get some benefit from legal gambling. An online component could change that.
In 2022, the article goes on to note, the tribes were aiming to legalize in-person wagering only while commercial operators were looking at digital betting. None of the tribal leaders made clear during the conference whether the next initiative would be in-person only or have a digital component. In other California gaming news, IGA conference chairman Victor Rocha has been stunned by the rise of sweepstakes and last fall ran a series of webinars about them. The unregulated operators have served to galvanize the legal industry and even give tribes and commercial operators – often at odds – a common enemy.
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 at SBS. For even more info on the topic covered here, the California sports betting guide has your back with an excellent assortment of California gaming notes. On a separate note, for those interested in diversifying their payment options, look no further than the payment methods rundown, which goes over a variety of options for deposits and withdrawals. Here, qualified customers can learn more about these options by using crypto or more traditional banking routes. Finally, for those who are eligible and looking for some higher-stakes wagering, look no further than the VIP sports betting sites breakdown which covers a variety of excellent information.
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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