Bill Dodd, a California Senator, has pulled out his sports betting legalization bill from the state legislature. This happened after constant opposition from the state’s tribes that were unhappy with the additional powers given to the state’s card rooms.

Tribal opposition is the key

Appearing in an interview, he said,

“We have significantly diverse stakeholders that really want to be in here. Tribes, county fairs, horse racing, card rooms. Because of COVID we couldn’t bring people together.”

The legislation will eventually need to be approved by voters. It would have to pass by Thursday so that it could be included in a November ballot as well. The setback would mean that the latest that the state could have a law would be on November 22. Sports betting could latest be implemented in the state in 2023, said the legislation’s sponsor Assemblyman Adam Gray. A spokesman for the California Nations Indian Gaming Association.

What do the tribes want?

The Coalition to Authorize Regulated Sports Wagering is a group led by the state’s tribes that is looking for signatures for a parallel ballot measure. The tribes believe that the state’s bill would be breaking an agreement between the states and tribes by expanding Nevada-style games to California’s card rooms. In an email, the Coalition said that it has already gathered over 1 million signatures for their petition which could bring sports betting to the US’ most populous state in an incremental and responsible manner.

The bill by Senator Dodd proposed a 10% tax on the gross revenue earned via wagers placed in the horse -racing tracks and tribal casinos of the state. Online wagers would attract a 15% tax. The bill’s backers said that the state could earn $500 million in a year if sports betting is legalized in the state.

California is one of the most coveted states for sports betting, given its high population and the existence of several casinos and horse race tracks in the state.