Gaming consultant predicts 'ugly' battle among tribes, gaming companies, and card rooms

There’s never been any doubt that the November 2022 election season in California will be preceded by a barrage of advertising regarding the four competing ballot initiatives that would legalize sports betting in the state.

But on Wednesday, a former Golden State regulator with half a century of experience in the U.S. gaming industry told an SBC North America Summit audience at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, N.J., that he projects the level of spending — and the fierceness of the campaigns — may exceed expectations.

“It’s going to be a bloodletting — I would guess about $200 million would be spent in this election [on sports betting issues],” said Richard Schuetz, formerly a commissioner for the California Gambling Control Commission and a consultant to Gov. Jerry Brown in that state. “California is the prize; it’s just really complicated.”