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Once reticent about legalizing gambling, California residents now appear ready for online sports betting, according to a new poll.
A Politico-Citrin Center-Possibility Lab survey of more than 1,400 registered voters in the Golden State revealed, per the Politico article on it:
“60% of those surveyed said they were open to legalizing the form of gambling that has exploded in popularity nationwide. Twenty-five percent said it should be legal and is long overdue, while 35% said it ‘might make sense’ but needed more details.”
The 40% opposed “selected responses that expressed concern about increased gambling addiction,” with the group split nearly evenly between being “wary of legalization” and dubbing it a “huge mistake.”
Men were more open to the prospect of online sports betting, with 64% in favor, compared to 55% of women.
The survey, conducted from late July to mid-August, is an indicator that an online sports betting measure could succeed in 2026.
Sportsbooks eying partnerships with tribes
In April, Politico reported that California sports betting legislation could be headed to voters. That speculation was fueled by a discussion involving DraftKings CEO Jason Robins and FanDuel President Christian Genetski.
The two spoke at the annual Indian Gaming Tradeshow and Convention. Both executives, in conversation with Indian Gaming Association conference Chair Victor Rocha, acknowledged that a tribal-led initiative to legalize gambling in California had the best chance of succeeding.
Robbins admitted that the company’s past approach to get sports betting legalized in California was the wrong one.
“I’m not going to sit here and say we don’t make mistakes – we’ve made many mistakes. But I think those who partner with us, and those like you who’ve gotten to know us, understand we really do care, and we want to do it the right way … Having tribal relationships and partnerships is absolutely essential; there’s no other way to do it here.”
Dueling propositions failed in 2022
In the 2022 election, the Sports Betting Alliance, which at the time included four major sports betting operators, including FanDuel and DraftKings, managed to get Proposition 27 on the ballot. It would have allowed operators to offer online sports betting without partnering with the state’s tribes.
Tribal leaders landed a competing gambling initiative on the ballot, Proposition 26, which would have allowed in-person betting on tribal lands.
In a poll taken just two weeks before the election, public opinion landed squarely against both measures, with just 26% saying they would vote for Prop 27 and 67% saying they’d vote against it. Prop 26 didn’t fare much better, with 34% support.
The ballot measures fared even worse than those dismal numbers indicated: Just 17.3% of voters supported Prop 27 in the end, while 33% said “yes” to Prop 26.
Last October, the California Nations Indian Gaming Association was reportedly working on details for a proposal that would unite the tribes. In 2022, disagreements between large and small tribes over which initiative to back contributed to both defeats.
California remains just one of 11 states that will be without some form of legalized sports betting heading into 2026. Missouri is set to become the latest state to have legalized wagering when both online and in-person sports betting launches Dec. 1.
