Tribal dissent continues as third tribe links up with California sportsbook campaign
Tachi Yokut Tribe voices its support for ‘proposition 27’, refuting claims made by rival tribal legislation initiative
The Santa Rosa Rancheria Tachi Yokut Tribe has become the latest tribe to break ranks and voice its support for the controversial $200m California sports betting widening initiative.
The Kings County-based tribe, which operates The Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino, is the third such tribe to do so, joining the Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians and Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians, who announced their support for the campaign last week.
The multi-operator-backed ‘California Solutions for Homelessness and Mental Health Support Act’ has now been redesignated to ‘proposition 27’ following its successful transition from becoming a voter-backed petition to securing its place on a November ballot.
In a statement, Santa Rosa Rancheria Tachi Yokut Tribe chairman Leo Sisco outlined the reasons behind the tribe’s shift to support the passage of the vote.
“Proposition 27 will provide us with economic opportunity to fortify our tribe’s future for generations and protect tribal sovereignty,” Sisco said.
“And it is the only measure that will deliver hundreds of millions of dollars each year to help solve homelessness and address mental health in California,” the tribal chairman added.
There are two main groups contesting proposition 27 – the multi-operator advocacy group, which wants the proposition to pass and the opposition group, made up of the Californians for Tribal Sovereignty and Safe Gaming (CTSSG) and the Coalition for Safe, Responsible Gaming, a campaign bankrolled by five California-based Indian tribes.
The CTSSG has funneled more than $114m into its opposition campaign, while the multi-operator group is reportedly set to commit another $100m in order to get its proposition over the line.
Although in its infancy, campaigning for and against proposition 27 has already turned ugly, typified in YouTube commercial attacks against DraftKings CEO Jason Robins over comments he made during a recent industry conference.
Proposition 26 is currently the only other sports betting-led initiative to have made the November ballot, with the measure aimed at legalizing and restricting sports betting to Indian casinos and licensed racetracks in the Golden State.
Supporting proposition 26 is the Coalition to Authorize Regulated Sports Wagering, a group made up a number of tribes including the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians, Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria.
To date, the campaign has raised $73.08m in funding.
Opposing the passage of proposition 26 is the Taxpayers Against Special Interest Monopolies (TASIM) campaign, which is backed by a number of California-based casinos and gambling-related businesses.
In total, the TASIM campaign has received more than $42.2m in funding from donors.
The ballot will take place on November 8.