The California Senate has unanimously approved AB 831, a bill aimed at banning sweepstakes-style online casino games. Passed with a 36-0 vote, the measure now returns to the Assembly for concurrence before it can advance to Governor Gavin Newsom.
Since the Senate made significant amendments to AB 831 through a gut-and-amend process, the bill now returns to the Assembly for a concurrence vote. This step requires Assembly members to decide whether to accept the changes in full. If they concur, the measure will move directly to Gov. Newsom’s desk for consideration. If not, lawmakers may need to negotiate further or send the bill to a conference committee.
The concurrence vote is expected to take place by September 13th.
This process is often a procedural step, where it’s highly unlikely that the Assembly will reject the changes. In this case, since there was a 36-0 vote in favor of AB 831 in the Senate, it makes it even more difficult for the Assembly to rule against this bill.
The only scenario where the Assembly rules against a bill in concurrence is when there have been significant changes. While that is exactly what happened in AB 831, this was coordinated with key stakeholders, including the California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA) and the Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations (TASIN).
While there is tribal opposition, resulting in a recent protest against AB 831, there’s a good chance that this bill will be passed along to Gov. Newsom.
It’s worth briefly noting that even though it’s improbable, it wouldn’t be unprecedented to see concurrence get rejected, such as with SB 901 in 2018. This was a bill that aimed to address wildfires in California. After getting rejected, SB 901 was sent to a conference committee, which convened to address disagreements with the bill. Eventually, the bill was passed and signed into law later that year.
Using this example to apply to AB 831, even if the Assembly rejects concurrence, that doesn’t mean that the bill won’t eventually pass. All it would do is delay what appears to be an inevitable outcome.
If the Assembly concurs with the Senate amendments and AB 831 is sent to Gov. Newsom for final consideration, there are three options. This includes:
Given the unanimous Senate support and backing from major tribal organizations, Newsom is expected to give the measure serious consideration.
With that said, it wouldn’t be unprecedented for a governor to reject a bill that reaches their desk. In fact, earlier this year, Gov. Jeff Landry vetoed SB 181, which aimed to ban sweepstakes casinos in Louisiana. Landry argued that the Louisiana Gaming Control Board already had the authority to make decisions on all gaming activities, so the bill was unnecessary.
With tribes like the Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation, Sherwood Valley Rancheria, and Mechoopda Tribe speaking against the bill, there’s still pushback that could impact Gov. Newsom’s decision.
