A third California-based tribe is throwing its support behind the Golden State’s mobile sports betting initiative.
The Santa Rosa Rancheria Tachi Yokut Tribe, which is located near Lemoore in Kings County, announced its support Tuesday for the California Solutions to Homelessness and Mental Health Support Act, which is backed by prominent online sportsbooks like DraftKings and FanDuel and would legalize online sports betting in the state.
In a press release, Leo Sisco, who serves as the chairman of the tribe, said the online California sports betting initiative (Prop. 27) would deliver solutions to issues impacting members, such as homelessness and mental health problems.
“Prop. 27 will provide us with economic opportunity to fortify our Tribe’s future for generations and protect Tribal sovereignty,” Sisco said in the press release. “And it is the only measure that will deliver hundreds of millions of dollars each year to help solve homelessness and address mental health in California.”
Where California Tribes Stand on Sports Betting
Sisco’s tribe joins the Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians and the Big Valley Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians, who endorsed the online California initiative last week.
A second sports betting initiative, the California Legalize Sports Betting on American Indian Lands Initiative, would allow tribes and racetracks to offer retail-only sports betting, along with adding additional table games at tribal casinos.
The online sports betting initiative that Sisco’s tribe supports would allocate 85% of all wagering tax revenue to funding solutions to homelessness. It officially qualified for the November ballot in late June.
Three California tribes were attempting to get their own mobile sports betting proposal on the ballot this year, but in May decided to focus on getting enough signatures to go before voters in 2024 — while working to defeat this year’s online sports betting bill supported by national operators.
The two California sports betting initiatives on the November ballot are designed to work concurrently, meaning voters in the state can pass them together and not invalidate the other. If either initiative passes, it could be until early 2025 before residents can place their first sports bets.
