A deal has been agreed to, to bring legal sports betting to California.
Try telling that to a resident two years ago.
On Tuesday, the Sports Betting Alliance (DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Fanatics) formulated a plan to bring it to the state, and it aims to work directly with the state's tribes.
Representatives from DraftKings and FanDuel compiled a plan at the Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention that would form a juggernaut tribe in California, a state which entails 109 tribes.
This mega-tribe would then work directly with SBA to allow legal sports betting in California.
Any other involvement with secondary books will be determined however, should the tribe only choose to work with the SBA, that would rule out any participation from other books such as ESPN Bet, Hard Rock, Prime Sportsbook, and Sporttrade.
Caesars’ involvement would also be up in the air, although Caesars has had a longstanding relationship with a tribe through Harrah’s.
Should the tribe choose a partnership with the SBA, the four major sportsbooks would ultimately compete with each other, share revenue with the tribes, as well as pay a minimum guarantee per tribe every year.
According to Ryan Butler, this is the closest we have ever gotten to the SBA entering the state, and that the earliest possible launch would be in 2027.
This story is still developing.
