Two California cardrooms are seeking to invalidate a sports betting ballot initiative, which they claim violates the state constitution. Hollywood Park Casino and Cal-Pac Rancho Cordova (Parkwest Casino Cordova) sued California Secretary of State Shirley Weber on Tuesday, in the California Supreme Court.
Both parties argue that the initiative, which seeks to legalize sports wagering on tribal land, contradicts a constitutional mandate which states ballot measures must be limited to a single subject, reports Bloomberg Law. The initiative is being backed by several California tribes.
According to the cardrooms, the sports betting proposal includes too many unrelated subjects, and thus they urge the court to take action before ballot printing takes place in September. By including roulette and dice games and private litigation in the initiative, petitioners allege the tribes violated the constitution, confusing electors.
“The Initiative’s proponents seek to exploit the popular demand for legal sports wagering by hitching two unpopular wish-list measures to a sports-wagering Initiative,” the suit reads, as reported by The Sacramento Bee.
Petitioners are now asking the court to either enjoin Weber from putting the initiative before voters, ask her to show a valid reason as to why the initiative shouldn’t be barred from the ballot or, if the case cannot be decided before September, to put a temporary stay on the measure.
Four ballot measures seeking to legalize sports betting have so far been submitted to the state, backed by various interest groups, among them cardrooms and tribes. However, thus far, only one initiative qualifies for the ballot: “The California Sports Wagering Regulation and Unlawful Gambling Enforcement Act.”
Backed by the Pechanga, Barona, Yocha Dehe and Agua Caliente tribes, it is the initiative now being protested by cardrooms in the state. It seeks to legalize in-person sports wagering in California on tribal land and at certain horse tracks; and also would allow tribes to offer roulette and dice games, as well as authorize private lawsuits to enforce other gambling laws.
Four tribes in California -San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, and Wilton Rancheria- are also running a second sports betting initiative, called “The Age-Verified Tribal Online and In-Person Sports Wagering & Homelessness Solutions Act.”
The proposal seeks to protect “tribal gaming exclusivity,” calls to provide benefits for limited gaming and non-gaming tribes, and pledges to address homelessness and mental health through a fund.
It seeks to give tribes exclusive rights for operating both in-person and online sports betting: taking into account similarities to the other, already-greenlighted tribal ballot measure, it is possible tribes might end up withdrawing one should both get on the ballot.
In addition to these two tribes-backed initiatives, cardrooms, which would be left out of the profitable market should either pass, are running their own ballot measure. It would authorize expansion of urban casino gaming in California by letting cardrooms offer Nevada-style games, while also allowing them and other parties -including tribes, horse racetracks, professional sports teams- to offer in-person and online sports wagering in the state.
The California battle over sports betting control is completed by a fourth initiative, backed by online gaming giants FanDuel and DraftKings. It would allow in-person betting at tribal casinos, which could offer online betting through partnerships with online betting companies. It calls for a 10% tax on online betting profits.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2021/12/22/60734-two-california-cardrooms-sue-secretary-of-state-over-tribalbacked-sports-betting-ballot-initative
