California tribes have gone on the offensive to protect their rights over the gambling industry. 

A group of California tribes has filed lawsuits against 90 companies for illegally offering gambling. Most of the defendants are card rooms located around the state. The tribes accuse them of providing banked games such as Blackjack at their locations, despite California law only allowing them to be offered at tribal casinos.

The tribes view the widespread issue of illegal gambling as yet another broken promise. The tribes have had tense relations with the state government, cardroom operators, and race tracks over the last few years, breaking trust between the parties. 

“The disingenuous nature of these initiatives should be a red flag to every tribal government as well as every voter in California,” said California Nations Indian Gaming Association Chairman James Siva in a press release. “The proponent of the measures are attempting to divide and conquer tribes by pushing an initiative that attempts to legitimize illicit off-shore operators and putting our governments at risk.”

The tribes hope these lawsuits prevent operators from deleting security footage and burying evidence.

Several lawsuit defendants have claimed innocence and accused the tribes of attempting to eliminate the competition. 

Bad News for Sports Betting

One of the driving forces behind the tension with California tribes has been sports betting. Many lawmakers have been pushing hard to legalize the industry, but the tribes have accused them of dishonest tactics. As a result, they have invested millions of dollars in opposing those bills, which have led to their failure.

Cardroom operators and race tracks have also attempted to create a sports betting market in which they could participate. The Tribes’ accusations of dishonesty mainly apply to these operators, who have made false claims.

While many sports betting proponents hoped the industry was trending in the right direction, the 90 lawsuits show that the tribes’ trust concerns remain.