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SW21:023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 27, 2021
CONTACT:
SOS Press Office
(916) 653-6575

New Measure Eligible for California’s November 2022 Ballot

Authorizes New Types of Gambling. Initiative Constitutional and Statutory Amendment.

SACRAMENTO, CA – Secretary of State Shirley Weber announced that an initiative became eligible for the November 8, 2022 General Election ballot yesterday.

In order to become eligible for the ballot, the initiative needed 997,139 valid petition signatures, which is equal to eight percent of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2018 General Election. The initiative exceeded that threshold yesterday.

The Attorney General's official title and summary of the measure is as follows:

AUTHORIZES NEW TYPES OF GAMBLING. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AND STATUTORY AMENDMENT. Allows federally recognized Native American tribes to operate roulette, dice games, and sports wagering on tribal lands, subject to compacts negotiated by the Governor and ratified by the Legislature. Beginning in 2022, allows on-site sports wagering at only privately operated horse-racing tracks in four specified counties for persons 21 years or older. Imposes 10% tax on sports-wagering profits at horse-racing tracks; directs portion of revenues to enforcement and problem-gambling programs. Prohibits marketing of sports wagering to persons under 21. Authorizes private lawsuits to enforce other gambling laws. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Increased state revenues, potentially reaching the tens of millions of dollars annually, from payments made by facilities offering sports wagering and new civil penalties authorized by this measure. Some portion of these revenues would reflect a shift from other existing state and local revenues. Increased state regulatory costs, potentially reaching the low tens of millions of dollars annually. Some or all of these costs would be offset by the increased revenue or reimbursements to the state. Increased state enforcement costs, not likely to exceed several million dollars annually, related to a new civil enforcement tool for enforcing certain gaming laws. (19-0029A1.)

The proponents of the measure are Edwin “Thorpe” Romero, Jeff L. Grubbe, Anthony Roberts, and Marc Macarro. The proponents can be reached c/o Lance H. Olson of  Olson Remcho LLP at (916) 442-2952. The address for Olson Remcho, LLP is 555 Capitol Mall, Suite 400, Sacramento, CA 95814.

For more information about how an initiative qualifies for the ballot in California, visit https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-measures/how-qualify-initiative/.

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