If you watch a lot of sports on TV, or spend a lot of time browsing sports sites on the internet, chances are that you would have run into one or two commercials advertising attractive sportsbook bonuses. And if you have ever tried to claim any of such betting offers, you would have discovered that the bonus is not available in California.
Unfortunately, California is one of the few states in the US that have not legalized sports betting, meaning that residents within the state do not have access to the vast array of betting freebies available in many other states in the country.
It’s even more annoying for potential California bettors given that betting is legal in all of our surrounding states. Our friends in Arizona have particularly had it good in recent times. There has been a large influx of sportsbooks into that state, giving residents a myriad of Arizona betting bonuses to choose from!
Ever since the Supreme Court ruled against the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in May 2018, sports betting has been spreading very rapidly across the United States.
As of now, sports wagering is now legal in over 30 states in the country. Sadly, The Golden State continues to be left out of the loop.
Many sports betting enthusiasts residing in California have had to take matters into their own hands, embarking on the short trip across state lines into Nevada and Arizona just to place a sports bet and grab a bonus! Some players even use offshore websites to place their bets, but that is rather unsafe and better avoided.
The most recent efforts to legalize sports betting in California came a cropper in November 2022, when Prop 26 and Prop 27 failed to receive enough votes.
Governor Gavin Newsom had earlier expressed his reservations about the propositions when he opined that passing the sports betting bill would hurt Carlifornia’s Indian tribes and increase the risk of under-age gambling. He also noted that California would lose billions of dollars to out-of-state corporations.
With all the opposition to sports betting in the state, the immediate future does not look too promising. Many industry experts are of the opinion that it might not be until late 2024 or early 2025 before a favorable resolution is reached.
Being the most populous state in the country, it is easy to see why there is so much lobbying going on for and against sports betting. If and when California legalizes sports wagering, the state could potentially become the biggest betting state in the country.
California is home to almost 40 million people, and the base of an incredible collection of huge sports teams. The state houses the Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors from the NBA; Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings from the NHL; and MLB powerhouses, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants.
The ingredients are very much on ground for a sports betting explosion in the state, but the pieces are still being put together.
For now though, Californians must rely on alternative means (a.k.a. visit neighboring states) to place bets on their favourite sports teams, and claim their sportsbook bonuses!
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