When the new coronavirus hit, most countries suffering the most went into lockdown. This meant that even sports events were cancelled or even postponed. Almost a year since the outbreak of Covid-19, here we all are, still a bit far away from the normality that we all crave for. Sporting events such as the Olympics Games have been postponed to next year (hopefully) and other sporting events have been crushed with bubbles that impose various restrictions. If normal if what we all crave for, we are still very much away from that still.
California has also been hit hard when it comes to sports. Just like the rest of thee world, major sporting events have resumed lately, but still California is still one of those states that needs to introduce a betting bill, and allow individuals to bet freely on the sporting events. When it comes to sports betting, you have the pro betting side that wants to have sports betting legal, and the native tribes and what we call the oldies and old schoolers that stand firmly against a no to the bill being introduced altogether.
Let’s have a look at what California has done with regards to sports betting. California has always been a bit skeptical when it comes to changing the status of gambling in the state and finally making it legal. It is still illegal to own or operate and even promote an online gambling site or casino in California. On the other hand, there are no laws and regulations that forbid you from accessing or playing at online slots via a gambling website.
When the Internet launched, there was never a single Californian resident that has been charged for playing at online gambling games, or partaking in any online gambling activities. Strange isn’t it? Would you honestly believe that not even a single Californian has gambled or played online in the last couple of years? As you see, the rules are quite lenient, and the usage of VPN must be top in California. Truth is, many Californians play online, yet they play out of their respective states, hence California does not get any funds from any gambling money being generated.
The rest of America is currently working its way to make sure that a sports betting framework is introduced. After all, why not partake and take a slice of the million dollars in tax revenue that betting generates? Americans love their games — the NFL, NBA and betting on the Super Bowl. If Americans bet on such sporting events, they should be entitled to a position of the winnings, however this is only possible if a gambling bill is passed, introduced and implemented. Whilst this process might be easy on the eyes, it will be years until this is implemented fruitfully. In the meantime, funds will be outside California and enjoyed by other states over the border.
Would you believe it if we tell you that a whopping 22% of all the people who visit Nevada are all from California? The total amount of money that this portion of the population splurges is around $300 million per year. A massive amount of money for sure, and most of that money could confidently go to California if a legal gambling bill is introduced.
Back in mid 2020, there was already some talk that sports betting and also usage of gambling sites will be launched in California. However, that did not materialize fully and Native America have opposed the idea fully and crushed the hopes of many. Truth be told, this was talk that the Tribes opposed this idea, however in reality the tribes still want to see the figures and also understand how a fair share of this amount of money from the revenue was received. And that is quite fair in our humble opinion. Once this small opposition was raised, all talks about legalizing betting were evidently squashed to the ground.
If you follow religiously everything related to politics, you would know that if the US wanted to pass a sports betting bill by latest 2021, this would have been included in the November Ballot. Politicians advised that this was something for the future and discussion would need to take place in the future. Politicians in California have come out as seeing the need of introducing sports betting and this seems to be a need, at least this is how some politicians see it. This is something for the 2021, we are sure, at least this is what us bookmakers believe.
It is only a matter of time that California realizes that such a substantial amount cannot be lost to other states, other countries and sites that are outside of the state. You can see many trusted bookmakers here, and until California decides to pass the sports betting and online gambling bill, some of these sites will welcome you onboard. It is a matter of when not if a bill will pass, and until then you can still enjoy sports betting on US teams and athletes in other esteemed sites and brands.