FanDuel has made campaign guarantees for the hundred tribes that call the Golden State home.
Speaking at the Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention in Anaheim, California FanDuel CEO Amy Howe gave assurances to the assembled representatives and media.
She said: “If legalized betting is going to happen in California, it will be with and through the 100+ tribes that exist in the state of California. It is critical that we do this together and not against each other.”
FanDuel learns from past mistakes
The major gaming operator was part of a legislative push to change the fortunes of gambling in the state of California in 2022. That section of Proposition 27 would allow a designated tribe or “a qualified gaming company with a market access agreement with a gaming tribe may operate online sports betting for individuals 21 years of age or older in the state but outside of Indian lands,” according to ballot proposal.
Prop 27 fell flat on its face and also clashed with assembled tribes who felt insulted by the lack of conversation and respect for the role they play in legalized gambling in the state.
California Indian Nations Gaming Association Chairman James Siva and Pechanga Development Corp Director of Public Affairs Jacob Mejia were part of the panel on which Howe would speak. Both have been vocal advocates of consulting tribal entities on all legislative pushes.
Howe didn't win many friends when the Prop 27 push failed and said that “We absolutely live to fight another day.” The statement angered Meija at the time, and he aptly responded that “If you fight the tribes, you're losing.”
Since those troubled times, the healing process has begun between Howe and Meija to build a possible respect. Howe addressed the media acknowledging the failure of Prop 27, saying, “It's a real privilege and an honor to be one of the first CEOs to be here after what was, we can joke about it, was a spectacular failure”.
The assembled Congress knows that legalizing gambling in the state will be a massive financial boon, and Siva was adamant that “Gambling expansion will happen. It's a matter of when, not if. But when that happens, the tribes will remain in control. We will cooperate with companies, we will use products. But the tribes are the operators in California, period. This is.”
It remains to be seen if FanDuel has truly learned the lessons of the ill-fated Prop 27, but Meija would say in his closing comments that “It was refreshing to hear that they've taken stock of the outcome of the election and reflected on what it happened Looks like they've learned some lessons. But as people have already said, the proof is in the pudding.
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