The battle over whether to legalize online sports betting has become one of the most expensive in California history.
Under Proposition 27, online sports betting companies would hit a jackpot. While Indian casinos say it would take a major hit if people could bet on their favorite team from anywhere.
"The sports industry captures the imagination of the entire electorate," said Wallach."If you add a gambling component to that engagement with sports it will become the most popular form of gambling in the United States." Ben Ray III, a tribal administrator for the Big Valley Rancheria said 27 passing would be"very dramatic" for his community.
Further south in Wine Country, Graton Rancheria chairman Greg Sarris says it would break the bank for large casinos that depend on their gambling sovereignty. If passed, Prop 27 would require 15% of tax revenue from online sports wagers to go to non-gaming tribes or tribes with small casinos. The other 85% would go for housing and substance treatment across the state.As it is, the state Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program received about $1 billion in funding last year. Under Prop 27, that amount is expected to dramatically increase.