Major League Baseball announced that it is backing a plan to legalize online sports betting in the Golden State.
The league said that it supports Proposition 27, which would allow gambling over the internet. Another proposal, Proposition 26, would allow sports betting in-person at tribal casinos and horse racing tracks.
“As legalized sports betting continues to expand across the country, Major League Baseball remains committed to protecting the integrity of its games and creating a safe experience for fans who wish to wager on those games,” MLB said in statement. "Proposition 27 — the only measure on California’s upcoming ballot that would authorize and regulate online sports betting — includes strong integrity provisions designed to help MLB carry out those commitments.
“The measure would, for example, (1) require sports book operators to notify leagues of suspicious wagering activity, (2) allow leagues to propose restrictions on betting markets that are particularly susceptible to manipulation, and (3) facilitate other forms of integrity-related cooperation between the state, leagues, and operators. MLB believes that Prop 27 has the safeguards to create a safe and responsible online sports betting market in California — a state with millions of MLB fans looking for alternatives to illegal offshore betting sites.”
While legal gambling contributes to homelessness, the backers of Proposition 27 allege that more gambling will help fund homelessness services.
Both proposals are unlikely to pass this fall.
California is home to 82 casinos, which generate a nearly $20 billion economic impact.
