CNIGA slams “cynical attempt” to legalize sports betting in California after initiatives withdrawn
Association said initiative attempted to use tribes’ names to restore reputations of operators with “an appalling track record of malfeasance”
The California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA) has issued a warning to those wanting to “dubiously” enter the Californian market after a sports betting initiative was withdrawn following a lack of tribal support.
This warning comes after the Native American tribes quashed the latest California sports betting initiatives.
Two ballots, the Tribal Gaming Protection Act and The Sports Wagering Regulation and Tribal Gaming Protection Act, which were initially submitted to the California Attorney General by Eagle 1 Acquisition CEO Kasey Thompson on October 27, would have confined sports betting exclusively to the Golden State’s tribal gaming operators.
In the months that followed, tribal groups, most notably the CNIGA, voiced their opposition to these initiatives, arguing the ballots were “abhorrent” and were an attempt to sow division among tribal operators.
The bills were eventually pulled on Tuesday, January 23, after staunch opposition from the tribes and the Sports Betting Alliance, which is a consortium of online operators including market leaders FanDuel and DraftKings.
Tribal support was a requisite of the proposed ballot measure but failed to materialize as expected, with only a small number of California’s tribes coming out in favor of the initiative.
In a statement following the withdrawal of these initiatives, CNIGA chairman James Siva issued a stark warning to others pushing for sports betting legalization.
Siva remarked: “We are pleased that in the face of widespread tribal opposition, the backers of two initiatives have kept their word and withdrawn what we could only regard as a cynical attempt to legalize sports wagering and online betting in California.
“These initiatives attempted to use tribes’ good names to cleanse illegal offshore, online gambling corporations with an appalling track record of malfeasance.
“Let this failure also be a warning to others that seek to dubiously enter the California gaming market. Using tribes for your own gain will get you nowhere,” the chairman added.