California Tribes rebuff sweepstakes industry in recent webinar

The Tribes of California have been resolute in their stance against the expansion of sweepstakes casino environments.

Both the Indian Gaming Association (IGA) and the California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA) participated in a webinar event that discussed the impact of developing legislation to support the regulation of this type of entertainment venue in the state.

The webinar, as reported by CDC Gaming, included key members of the California Tribes’ regulatory bodies. A key topic of discussion was Assembly Bill 831, which was tabled to “protect Californians from unregulated online gambling by prohibiting online sweepstakes games that use a ‘dual currency’ model to mimic casino-style wagering,” according to state legislators.

Assembly member Avelino Valencia is leading on Bill 831, and it is currently awaiting a hearing in the Senate. According to the release from Valencia, Tribal gaming contributes $25 billion to California’s economy and sustains over 112,000 jobs.

We reported on the progress of the bill and how this regulation would enforce changes to sweepstakes casinos. Anyone breaching the incoming enforcement could face a potential maximum $25,000 fine with a possible custodial sentence if found guilty.

The panel, led by Victor Rocha, chairman of the IGA tradeshow conference, included James Siva, chairman of CNIGA; Michael Hoenig, vice president and associate general counsel of the Yahaaviatam of the San Manuel Nation; and Brian Giles, executive director of IGA.

“A pretty strong bill is moving through the California legislature,” Giles was reported to have commented on Bill 831’s progress. “It’s taking no prisoners.”

Silva also commented on the potential legislation, saying, “This is about holding up the constitution of California. Our exclusivity is in the Constitution. We’re about protecting laws and regulations. We’re not stopping innovation,” Siva said.

Sweepstakes casinos include slot machines, iGaming, and at times sports wagering, but the long-established role of Tribal Nations in regulated gambling has been, according to the panellists, disregarded in these environments.

“FanDuel, DraftKings, and the tribes are all on the same side on this,” Rocha said. “There’s no air gap in the industry. Everybody wants the same thing — the complete and total annihilation of the sweepstakes industry.”

Featured image: Pexels.

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