Tribal Groups Address Report On ‘Controversial’ California Sports Betting Discussion

On Wednesday evening, the California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA) and the Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations (TASIN) issued a joint statement addressing a report published by Casino Reports on Tuesday, “which suggested that tribes and commercial entities had reached an agreement on a California sports betting plan,” the group wrote.

The referenced report was initially titled “Tribes, Commercial Entities Agree In Principle On Legal California Sports Betting Plan,” and was subsequently modified to its current version entitled “Tribes, Commercial Entities Consider Similar Plan For Legal California Sports Betting.”

The remainder of the statement from CNIGA and TASIN is as follows:

“Tribal leaders are offended that the Sports Betting Alliance invited a reporter into what was intended to be a private roundtable discussion among tribal leaders regarding this controversial issue. This breach of trust highlights why such discussions must be led by tribal governments and organizations, rather than operator-funded groups.

While the meeting was productive in some ways, the suggestion that an agreement had been reached between tribes and commercial operators is simply false. Further discussions among tribal governments are expected to take place in the coming weeks and months. Let there be no false illusion: establishing an acceptable framework and governance model will take time. This is a complex matter that involves navigating federal, state, and tribal laws, which requires thorough debate and careful resolution.”

The reporter referenced therein was invited to the event by the Sports Betting Alliance (SBA), which hosted the event. The reporter also verbally confirmed that the meeting was on the record and that she could report on it. She reported on the slides presented and conversation that occurred during the meeting.

When contacted afterward with objections over the report and requests for clarifications, the title and certain copy was modified in an effort to preserve the accuracy of the report while also preventing any of its contents from getting misconstrued.

Casino Reports stands by the reporting.