The most expensive ballot proposition gamble in U.S. history went bust Tuesday as California voters overwhelmingly rejected sports betting, shooting down initiatives by Native American tribes and the wagering industry.
The two groups raised nearly $600 million in competing efforts to expand gambling and capture a piece of a potential billion-dollar market in the nation’s most populous state. But voters did not want a piece of that action.
Supporters and opponents of the dueling measures flooded voters with a blast of advertisements on propositions that would have legalized sports gambling by allowing it at tribal casinos and horse tracks or through mobile and online wagering.
The money raised and spent more than doubled the record amount deployed in 2020 by Uber, Lyft and other app-based ride-hailing and delivery services to prevent drivers from becoming employees eligible for benefits and job protection.
Still, preelection polls showed both ballot measures faced an uphill fight to win a majority. More than 30 other states allow sports betting, but gambling in California is currently limited to Native American casinos, horse tracks, card rooms and the state lottery.