What could sports betting look like in California?
California State Senator Bill Dodd talks about the future of sports betting in California and what that could look like.
Video Transcript
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MINTY BETS: I have here with me, Senator Bill Dodd of District 3 in California, to answer a few questions on what he proposes for the legalization of sports gambling in California. How are you, Senator?
BILL DODD: I'm just fine, thank you. Thanks for having me.
MINTY BETS: Of course, yeah. Like I mentioned earlier, California is one of the slower moving states when it came to legalizing sports wagering. But it seems to be picking up. Does the COVID-19 pandemic affect this timetable at all? Did it fast forward the process for you?
BILL DODD: I think it fast forwarded the interest in this. Obviously, with a huge $54 billion deficit looming, the idea of getting $500 to $800 million a year off of the type of gaming that's already happening illegally anyway, has been attractive.
MINTY BETS: So under this current legislation, would mobile sports betting be available? Or would it strictly just be betting at the sports books?
BILL DODD: It would be both. We'd have bricks and mortar, mostly if the tribal entities, the tribal casinos throughout the state of California. And horse race tracks. They would have the ability to do, they would all have the ability to do both bricks and mortar and online mobile betting.
MINTY BETS: So California has tons of professional sports teams, as well as collegiate teams. Would there be limits to what teams you could bet on?
BILL DODD: You know, not now, you know, in this initiative. I think you know, there are other states that have, that don't allow the betting of any of their state teams. They have provisions in there that the NCAA teams for that state, you wouldn't be able to bet on. I have yet to hear anybody talk to me, tell me why that's really a bad thing.
MINTY BETS: Senator, when would California voters see this on the ballot?
BILL DODD: It would be on the ballot this coming November. And if it passes, we would have the framework to do bricks and mortar starting September 2021, September 2022. You could sign people up for mobile sports betting in September 2023, full on sports betting on the mobile devices.
