Major League Baseball released a statement last week supporting CA Proposition 27, which would see the legalization of online sports betting in California.

As reported yesterday, spending on California’s sports betting ballot initiatives has usurped previous records and looks set to hit upwards of US$500m by November 8th.

Proposition 26 and Proposition 27 are currently going through the ballot, and currently bettors are none the wiser as to which will come out on top in the all-important decision which will shape the future of betting in the Sunshine State.

The intrinsically key part of the MLB statement reads as follows:

“As legalized sports betting continues to expand across the country, Major League Baseball remains committed to protecting the integrity of its games and creating a safe experience for fans who wish to wager on those games.

Proposition 27––the only measure on California’s upcoming ballot that would authorize and regulate online sports betting––includes strong integrity provisions designed to help MLB carry out those commitments.  The measure would, for example, (1) require sports book operators to notify leagues of suspicious wagering activity, (2) allow leagues to propose restrictions on betting markets that are particularly susceptible to manipulation, and (3) facilitate other forms of integrity-related cooperation between the state, leagues, and operators.

MLB believes that Prop 27 has the safeguards to create a safe and responsible online sports betting market in California––a state with millions of MLB fans looking for alternatives to illegal offshore betting sites.”

MLB and sports betting already go hand in hand – but will CA be different? 

MLB and its franchises continue to reap rewards of legalized sports betting across the country, with a multitude of teams having partnerships with sportsbooks, and retail books opening at stadiums across the country in not only MLB, but also NBA and NFL.

Although the MLB has firmly voiced its opinion in support of online wagering, Tribal and State opposition remains vocal and continue to argue that CA will lose money to out-of-state corporations should it go through; with the Tribes also arguing it will break compacts signed years ago in protection of the Tribes.