This week, commercial operator trade body the Sports Betting Alliance (SBA) unveiled a possible regulatory route for sports betting in California, at the Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention in San Diego.

The floated plan would, as reported by trade media, involve the creation of a single tribal entity that would then contract out with national operators to offer sports betting.

NEXT.iounderstands the purpose of a discussion at the event, involving tribal representatives and commercial gaming leaders, was intended to foster dialogue between the two groups, rather than to agree or announce a fully-fledged plan.

Convened by the SBA’s Tribal Advisory Council, the purpose of the meeting was to discuss potential sports betting frameworks in the state, with operators emphasising that any initiative must be tribal-led and to the benefit of all state tribes.

After plans were erroneously reported in the media as having been agreed upon, the California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA) and the Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations (TASIN) issued a joint statement accusing the SBA of breaching its trust.

Tribes slam ‘breach of trust’

A spokesperson said: “Tribal leaders are offended that the Sports Betting Alliance invited a reporter into what was intended to be a private roundtable discussion among tribal leaders regarding this controversial issue.

“This breach of trust highlights why such discussions must be led by tribal governments and organisations, rather than operator-funded groups.

“While the meeting was productive in some ways, the suggestion that an agreement had been reached between tribes and commercial operators is simply false. Further discussions among tribal governments are expected to take place in the coming weeks and months.

“Let there be no false illusion: establishing an acceptable framework and governance model will take time. This is a complex matter that involves navigating federal, state, and tribal laws, which requires thorough debate and careful resolution.”

Following the meeting, SBA tribal advisory member and former chairman of Agua Caliente Casinos, Jeff Grube, said the meeting was productive but warned a final agreement was a long-way off.

He said: “To the best of my knowledge, no agreements have been reached between any tribes and commercial operators. The shared mission of both the SBA and the Tribal Advisory Board is to advance the legalisation of online sports betting in a way that delivers fair and equitable benefits to all tribes.

“This process will be tribally driven and grounded in the protection of existing brick-and-mortar operations. Simply put, no progress will be made in California without the full support and leadership of tribal nations.”

Mix-up undermines previous work

For its part, the trade media outlet in question said it was invited to the meeting by the SBA, and checked prior to publishing a related story that the meeting was on the record.

The incident could be seen as a step back for commercial sports betting operators, which have gone to great lengths to cooperate with Californian tribes in recent years.

This has included through the hiring of former tribal leaders as lobbyists, and a series of carefully worded statements assuring the tribes they would be in the driver’s seat going forward.

It comes following a disastrous ballot campaign in 2022 where the tribes and operators pushed duelling sports betting measures that were both ultimately rejected by voters.

In 2023, a fresh regulation effort, led by relative industry insiders, collapsed after state tribal interests united against the measure.