Sports bets here? Not soon

The U.S. Supreme Court decision this week that struck down a 1992 federal law and allowed states to legalize sports betting is likely to expand legal gambling in California. But a gambling historian doesn’t expect changes to come anytime soon.

David Clary, author of “Gangsters to Governors: The New Bosses of Gambling in America,” said legal sports betting in the Golden State is probably two years away, maybe three or four. “You may be able to bet on NFL games by week one (this September) in New Jersey, but I think in California it’s going to take some time,” he said.

Here’s what’s needed for California to enact legal sports betting: a state constitutional amendment, which requires approval by two-thirds of the Legislature, and a ballot referendum that passes by a simple majority of voters.

Clary, whose book was cited in the U.S. Supreme Court decision, noted that legalizing sports betting is largely a bipartisan issue, with backers on both sides of the aisle.

In New Jersey, then-Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, was a leading backer, and many red states are “aggressively pro-gambling,” he said. Blue states including New York are eager to expand gambling as well.

In California, the question of who would offer sports betting is complicated because stakeholders include Indian casinos, cardrooms and racetracks.

“The real question will be what kind of accommodation the Legislature would come to with the tribes,” Clary said. “The tribes have enormous political power and money, and they’re willing to spend it to get things shaped the way they want.”

The majority (55 percent) of Americans support legal sports betting, according to a poll conducted in September by the Washington Post and the University of Massachusetts, while 33 percent disapprove.

An estimated $150 billion is wagered illegally each year, according to the American Gaming Association. Politicians see taxing legal sports betting as a less painful source of revenue than, say, raising the gas tax, Clary said, noting this could become an issue in this year’s gubernatorial election.

Clary called the Supreme Court decision “sensible” and noted that other forms of gambling, including lotteries and horse racing, are regulated by states.

But he cautioned that sports betting is uniquely appealing — people are passionate about sports and don’t have to understand strategy as they do for games like poker — so it could be an issue for problem gamblers.

“This will make it easier for people to gamble,” Clary said. “There are many games every day you can bet on (which could be) a real issue for people who have gambling addiction problems.”