California tribal coalition slaps down “disingenuous” amended sports betting initiative
CNIGA members unanimously vote to oppose revised ballot measure calling on all tribal operators to reject
Members of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA) have again voted to oppose a pair of ballot initiatives aiming to bring tribal-led sports betting to the Golden State.
At CNIGA’s annual meeting on Thursday (December 15), its 52 members unanimously voted against the recently amended initiatives, continuing an opposition that began when the ballot measures were first filed with the California Attorney General’s Office in October.
In a press release confirming the vote, CNIGA chairman James Siva was unequivocal in his scorn for the amended ballot initiatives.
“The disingenuous nature of these initiatives should be a red flag to every tribal government as well as every voter in California,” Siva said.
“The proponent of the measures are attempting to divide and conquer tribes by pushing an initiative that attempts to legitimize illicit offshore operators and putting our governments at risk”
The CNIGA chairman continued: “The opposition coming from Indian Country is loud and it is clear. Tribes will not be distracted by outside influences making empty promises.
“Indian Country will stand firm in protecting our sovereign rights and integrity. We call on the proponents to do the honorable thing and withdraw these flawed initiatives,” he concluded.
The Tribal Gaming Protection Act and the Sports Wagering Regulation and Tribal Gaming Protection Act submitted by Eagle 1 Acquisition Co. CEO Kasey Thompson in October would, if passed, confer exclusivity on sports betting in the Golden State to California’s tribal gaming operators.
A raft of amendments were made to the pair of ballot measures following the conclusion of a mandatory commenting period and the submission of dissenting opinions from several tribal groups including CNIGA.
Crystalizing that opposition, CNIGA and 28 other Indian tribes sent a letter to Thompson on Friday confirming they would conduct an aggressive campaign of opposition should the initiative’s proponents go to the ballot boxes, urging them to abandon proposals “without delay”.
“Your initiatives are a cynical and deceptive attempt to hijack – for your personal gain – the goodwill tribes have earned and maintained for decades with the people of California,” the letter stated.
“According to your own media interviews, these ballot measures are designed to cleanse illegal offshore online gambling corporations with an appalling track record of illegal gambling, money laundering and other illicit activities.”
The letter continued: “An aggressive campaign will be waged against these reckless initiatives – like in 2022 which resulted in an 82% NO vote – that harm potential legitimate efforts to authorize sports wagering responsibly in California.
“Tribal governments will not allow our legitimate and highly regulated operations to be used to support a scheme designed to reward these illegal offshore online gambling companies,” it concluded.
Both measures are currently in a signature-gathering exercise ending in four months’ time, however, the state does allow for up to six months for signature collection.
To qualify to appear on the November 5, 2024, general election ballot, the initiatives proponents will be required to collect 874,461 valid signatures from Californians over the allotted period.