California voters resoundingly rejected Proposition 26 and Proposition 27, two attempts dealing with the legalization of sports betting within state borders during Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Issue 26 would have legalized sports betting within California.
Unofficial results list 3,786,507 voters, or 70.4 percent of the vote, rejecting Issue 26. By contrast, 1,588,669 voters, or 29.6% of the vote, were in favor of the issue.
Issue 27 would have legalized mobile sports betting within the state.
Unofficial results currently stand at 4,487,684 voters, or 83.3 percent of the vote, rejecting the measure for Issue 27. With 896,975 voters, or 16.7 percent of the vote, in favor of legalizing and regulating the industry within the state.
Native American tribes and the wagering industry led the attempt to legalize gambling.
Proposition 27 would have legalized online and mobile sports betting for those older than 18. “Large gaming companies would have had to partner with tribes involved in gambling or tribes could have entered the market on their own,” ESPN reported.
Both sides nearly spent a combined $600 million in the heated contest. Proposition 27 replaces Proposition 22, a 2020 measure on the regulation of ride-sharing services like Lyft and Uber, as the most expensive ballot measure in American political history.
Pro-gambling groups in California have yet to announce if they will try to legalize sports betting again or if it’s now a dead issue in the state.
[ESPN]
