California tribal leaders continue to debate the ‘YES Pledge’ as it fails to gain widespread support.
According to InGame, a letter from the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation was sent to various California tribal leaders at an unknown date, seeming to criticize the ‘YES Pledge’ for expanding gambling under the authority of Sports Betting Alliance (SBA) Tribal Advisory Council members.
The correspondence argues that “the future of tribal government gaming in California is at risk” and claims that the proposed commercial gambling expansion “will provide large profits for them, while undermining the fabric of Indian Gaming in California.”
Opinions are split on the issue, as Jeff Grubbe, the current SBA tribal advisor and former Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians chair, responded to the letter publicly on LinkedIn at the end of September. He claimed that it relies on “opinions, assumptions, and speculative outcomes – not verifiable facts.”
What is the YES Pledge?
Dividing those in the community, the YES Pledge first began circulating in September. It aims to encourage tribes to “commit to working together to secure voter or legislative approval of a tribally governed framework for online sports betting.”
However, it has failed to gain the support of the biggest tribal association in the state, the California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA), of which San Manuel is a member. Betting giants including Bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings, Fanatics Sportsbook, and FanDuel are all members of the SBA.
This issue is one of many at stake for tribes in California, as the news came earlier this week that California tribes have been blocked from suing cardrooms over exclusive gambling rights. The YES Pledge is also part of the bigger picture around the competition for controlling sports betting across the state, which some tribes argue also encroaches on their exclusivity, as determined by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) and compacts.
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