Two recently proposed ballot measures that aim to legalize sports betting in California are getting a chilly reception from the very Native American tribes that the initiatives envision offering wagering.
The chairman of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA), James Siva, appeared Wednesday on an episode of “The New Normal” podcast, hosted by Victor Rocha and Jason Giles, and noted the lack of public tribal support for the proposals.
“I haven't heard or seen any tribe stand up publicly and say, ‘We support this, we're behind this,’” Siva said.
What’s more, the chairman suggested the proposals and comments made by the architects behind them have quickly rubbed tribal leaders the wrong way, echoing the same kind of “derogatory, parental” views the tribes have dealt with for a long time in the U.S.
“If you come in the right way, respectfully, and you try to build that relationship and try to do it with integrity, tribes will honor that,” Siva said. “And if you get in good with tribes, you'll be in good forever. We are all about loyalty and respect. But if you come in and you disrespect tribes, if you disrespect tribal leaders, if you come in with this kind of air of you know what's best for Indian Country, you're done before you even get started. And I think that's the approach they've taken.”
Not a good sign
The comments do not bode well for the pending ballot measures that were filed with California’s attorney general in late October: "The Tribal Gaming Protection Act" and "The Sports Wagering Regulation and Tribal Gaming Protection Act."
Both ballot measures propose legalizing sports betting under the control of the state’s Native American tribes. One is much more descriptive in how that would look, but, in short, both would put the tribes in the driver’s seat when it comes to event wagering in the state.
Even so, it’s clear from the comments of Siva and others that most tribes were not consulted about the measures beforehand. The architects of the proposed ballot measures are reportedly the co-founders of Pala Interactive, which was majority-owned by the California-based Pala Band of Mission Indians before it was sold to Boyd Gaming in 2022.
"I think they're kind of using their previous tribal affiliation as the means to gain support," Siva said.
The clock is ticking
Siva also noted the process to get a question on the 2024 ballot in California means the parties involved in the proposed measures can't even start collecting the approximately one million signatures they need until early January. The compressed timeframe could doom the ballot measures before they even make the ballot.
Getting on the ballot is no guarantee of success either. The two sports betting-related propositions in 2022 in California did not even come close to cracking the 50% mark, partly because of the advertising efforts of the tribes, which tried and succeeded in stopping an online sports betting measure backed by DraftKings and FanDuel. Tens of millions of dollars were raised and spent during the ballot battle, and ultimately for naught.
Siva said the tribes have not stopped talking about sports betting, even after the two wagering-related ballot measures went down in flames during the 2022 cycle. However, he said the tribes have conducted polling that suggests California voters are just not receptive to legal sports betting pitches right now in any fashion.
“So, knowing that, trying to base our decisions and our path forward on actual information, not just how we feel, tribes decided we're going to wait an election cycle,” Siva said. “We're going to let the sports betting kind of move out of the media, move out of the voters’ mind, and then work our way back into it in future cycles. And now this throws it right back into the voters’ face. And a lot of voters are just tired of the conversation.”
