Pro-Prop 27 Ad in California Pits “Wealthy Casino Tribes” Against “Smaller Tribes”

• Recent Pro-Proposition 27 Ad in California Seen as Response to Prior Attack Ad
• California Tribes are Split on Sports Betting Issue – Casino Tribes vs Smaller Tribes
• CA Voters Will Decide on Prop 26 and Prop 27 This November at the Ballot

As predicted, the fight in California over what their sports betting market will look like is heating up faster than summer temperatures, and one of the battlefields that has been seeing the most action lately is on commercial television, where crossfire ad attacks have been happening.

The two sides – native tribes and outside operators – are at odds over who will control the multi-billion dollar sports betting industry that seems to be inevitable for California the way it has been for over thirty U.S. states and D.C. who all operate their own markets for their betting residents.

We recently reported in California Sports Betting Debate Heats Up as Tribes Launch New Attack Ad that a tribe-sponsored 30-second attack ad was aired that called their opponents liars for running ads and marketing that misinforms the public.

The tribes claim that these commercials give the impression that Proposition 27, one of the two major sports betting bills on the November ballot, will benefit tribes when those spots are paid for by outside sportsbooks, so the backers of Prop 27 just fought back with an ad of their own.

This new attack ad released earlier this week accuses “wealthy casino tribes who want all of the money for themselves” of oppressing the state’s smaller tribes, a clear attempt to pit the two tribal factions against each other, a tactic that just might work.

California Tribes are Split on Sports Betting Issue – Casino Tribes vs Smaller Tribes

There will be billions of dollars at stake once the California sports betting gold rush launches and the tribes who already run the casino gambling scene there of course want to control this new market, but if they do the smaller tribes in the state could suffer from exclusion as a result.

In a recent press release, California Nations Indian Gaming Association President James Siva did his best to break down the truth of what Proposition 27 means for that state’s native population, saying:

The out-of-state corporations and their Wall Street investors funding Prop 27 have deceptively tried to convince voters that their measure will help tribes. The truth is now out. More than 50 tribes — including gaming and non-gaming tribes — overwhelmingly oppose Prop 27 because it jeopardizes vital funding tribes use to support education, health care, cultural preservation, and public safety for our communities.

The issue will be up to the California voters who get to decide in November.

CA Voters Will Decide on Prop 26 and Prop 27 This November at the Ballot

On the first Tuesday in November, U.S. elections will be held, and in California on the ballot will be the two potential sports betting bills – Proposition 26 backed by a coalition of California tribes and Prop 27 backed by the outside sportsbook operators – and until then the battle will rage on.

Each side will continue to claim it has the better intentions for tribal nations and CA residents, and informed voters will get to cast their ballot for whichever take they believe, two profoundly different ways to run this new market that will create a new revenue stream for the state.

Expect more attack ads and misdirection as the time for voting gets closer, an unfolding story that we will keep you up to date on, so keep checking back here for the latest news.