If you were hoping to see a significant expansion of California gaming anytime soon, you’re very likely to be disappointed. That was the message from representatives of the Golden State’s powerful Tribal gaming interests at a panel discussion titled State of Gambling in California: Current Trends and Future Prospects that took place at the ICE conference earlier this week.
The panel’s unanimous conclusion was that California’s patchwork of gaming and non-gaming tribes must be in agreement about the road forward for gaming before taking their plan to the voters. In short, all roads to expansion such as regulated sports betting, must go through Indian Country and none of this is going to happen anytime soon.
Pechanga Band of Mission Indians councilmember Catalina Chacon was pretty straightforward in his assessment of the situation in comments reported on by iGamingBusiness.com saying, “It’s not going to happen in 2026. The data is telling us that the time is not right. Definitely not 2026, we’re looking more like 2028, but it has to include all tribal communities in California.” The Pechanga Band is, by far, California’s most powerful and influential tribe when it comes to gaming and what they say tends to be what happens.
Regardless, Chaocon’s sentiments were backed up by San Manuel Band of Mission Indians vice chairman Johnny Hernandez who reiterated the idea of Indian unity saying, “It has to include all tribes, including non-gaming tribes. I agree with Catalina that all tribes have to be in agreement. Gaming must go through the tribes.”
In short, don’t expect to see regulated sports betting in what could be America’s largest sports betting market anytime soon.