California Sports Betting Legalization Efforts

There is one area of gambling that the American gambling laws explicitly prohibit outside a few select states, and that is sports betting.

In fact, those who would like to bet on sports in the US face a rather peculiar situation. When a federal ban was enacted in 1992 it cemented the status quo of the time, leaving only Nevada, Delaware, Oregon and Montana to host such operations legally.

There are many who find such a selective ban absurd, perceiving it furthermore as a federal encroachment on sates’ rights. Among them is California Sen. Rod Wright, already known for his efforts to legalize online gambling in the Golden State.

Sen. Wright is now leading the legislative efforts to make sports betting legal in California, and he has significant support among fellow senators. The Democratic senator has actually gained the support of Senate Republicans, who recently published a report about sports betting.

According to its findings "authorizing sports wagering at California's horse racing tracks and satellite wagering facilities on fair grounds, card clubs and tribal casinos, for instance, could bring more people into these facilities on slow business days.”

Highlighting the economic benefits of such measures, the report claims that “such a plan might provide the vital financial help to the racing industry and provide the state with additional tax revenues."

Earlier plans at similar legislation failed but proponents believe that the tides have turned. Of course while that may be true on a state level, such legalization moves run into fervent opposition from the federal government and pro sports groups.

So, while online poker sites in the US may now be possible to establish and operate under intrastate regulations and interstate agreements, sports betting legalization is likely to be a much harder nut to crack.