Prop 26 Spokesperson Suggests There’s Room for Compromise With Prop 27

Could the staunch supporters of Prop 26 and Prop 27, at loggerheads over sports betting legalization in California, come to a compromise in the future?

That’s what Yes on 26 spokesperson Kathy Fairbanks suggested last month.

In a Prop 26 vs. Prop 27 debate between Fairbanks and Yes on 27 spokesperson Nathan Click, Fairbanks said perhaps a compromise will be what’s necessary to legalize sports betting in California.

“I think maybe there could be some type of legislative compromise,” she said during the Sept. 7 debate at the Sacramento Press Club, suggesting a potential of reaching a sports betting compromise 2024 ballot initiative via the legislature. “Certainly if both (Prop 26 and Prop 27) go down in November, then that opens the door for everyone to get together again.”

The prevailing thought is that both sports betting measures will fail in this election.

In a recent poll from the Public Policy Institute of California, 54% of likely California voters said they planned to vote no on Prop 27. Prop 27 would legalize online sports betting.

The chances for Prop 26, which would legalize in-person sports betting at California Indian casinos and licensed horse racetracks, are gloomy too. Polymarket, an online crypto prediction market, listed markets on Prop 26 and Prop 27’s chances last month. With prices translated to percentages, 81% of users think Prop 27 will fail. And 74% think Prop 26 will fail.

The PPIC poll and Polymarket prediction markets were released after the Sept. 7, when Fairbanks made these comments.

California Tribes ‘Recognize’ People Want Online Sports Betting

During the debate, which was attended by more than 100 citizens and media and streamed on the Sacramento Press Club Facebook page, Fairbanks stressed that she could not speak for what tribes who support Prop 26 may want to do in the future. But she suggested compromise might be inevitable.

“I’ve heard them say that they recognize that things are going this way,” she said. “Mobile sports betting is something that people want. We want to start slowly and responsibly, but (tribes) have an incentive, I would think, to come to the table because this is the way people are going.

“Now, they want to make sure they maintain their sovereignty, they want to maintain control, and certainly that’s not what they get in Prop 27, which is why they’re so vehemently opposed. But maybe there’s an opening. Maybe the door will open and there can be some sort of compromise.”

This may be one of the first times a representative of Prop 26 has admitted their side could make concessions and work with those who want mobile sports betting, and even work with large sports betting companies.

A sticking point for many tribes is that they would cede control of a mobile app to a company. Given the decades of distrust between many tribes and the government and businesses in the state, that’s understandable.

Californians will have the option to vote for Prop 26 and Prop 27 during the Nov. 8 election.

THAT’S LOTS OF MONEY: One CA Tribe Has Donated Nearly 25% of All Funding for Prop 26 and Prop 27 Campaigns