RivCo Tribes Tout CA In Person Sports Betting, Roulette, Craps Measure

TEMECULA, CA — The Riverside County Board of Supervisors accepted and filed a report from area tribes explaining their position on the "in person" sports wagering measure slated for the November ballot on Tuesday.

The Riverside County Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians Chairman Mark Macarro spoke for Pechanga, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and the Coalition for Safe, Responsible Gaming. He explained the November 2022 ballot measure known as the California Legalize Sports Betting on American Indian Lands Initiative. Macarro said that allowing for responsible in-person sports betting and the addition of roulette and craps games at California Indian casinos would ultimately benefit the state and Riverside County through the expansion of taxes and tribal donations.

The measure dovetails with a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2018 to eliminate the federal prohibition on sports wagering at tribal casinos. To date, 20 states have added sports wagering within their borders, as long as it is well-regulated.

Sports betting in person includes "wagering on the results of professional, college or amateur sports and athletic events, with the exception of high school sports," according to Ballotpedia.org. If the initiative passes, a portion of the profits from each bet would be taxed by the state, adding millions in funding for problem gambling and mental health problems. The competing proposal focuses on online sports betting, which is harder to manage and control.

According to Macarro, the primary safeguards for the act are that a person aged 21 or older must be present at the tribal casino to place a sports bet. The tribes are also seeking the addition of live craps and roulette games onto their casino floors. Adding these table games at the Riverside County tribal casinos would further add to the coffers from which tribes give back to their communities, Macarro said.

Indian casinos continually contribute to the economic vitality of our state and local communities, Maccaro said to the supervisors. Across the state, casinos are some of the largest employers in cities like Temecula and La Quinta.

An opposing vote would mean that sports betting would be prohibited at tribal casinos, as would roulette and dice games. Tribes contend that if the initiative passes, tribal casinos would be able to pump more money into communities through increased donations from the tribes and the county's added collection of added taxes.

According to the California Attorney General's office, the fiscal impact would include "increased state revenues, potentially reaching the tens of millions of dollars annually," according to the California Attorney General's office.

A competing measure, The California Solutions to Homelessness and Mental Health Support Act, proposes legalized online sports betting.

"Out of state internet sportsbook operators are proponents of this idea," said Macarro. The proposal accepted by the Supervisors reads that the online sports gambling measure "opens the door to underage users and a rise to gambling addiction."

"Funding under the measure is only guaranteed for cities with more than 300,000 residents, leaving 97 percent of cities to compete for grants to receive revenue.

"Despite the measure's title, its intent is to legalize online sports betting, which is more likely to contribute to homelessness and mental health problems than it is to solve it. Moreover, this measure is likely to have a negative economic impact on tribal governments in Riverside County, and thus Riverside County."

Supervisors Chuck Washington of the 3rd District and V. Manuel Perez of the 4th District presented the topic. Supervisor Karen Spiegel of the 2nd District and Jeff Hewitt of the 5th District also agreed to file the documentation.

Kevin Jeffries, 1st District Supervisor, abstained from voting on the informational filing.

"While I admire Pechanga, I'm abstaining from this vote," Jeffries said. "I'm not going to utilize my county position to take a position in an initiative that's on the ballot for the public to decide. As one who loves the craps tables, I'm not going to use my position to advocate for that."