New CA Sports Betting Poll: Prop 27 Is Down 10% With Young Voters

If Prop 26 and Prop 27 weren’t already dead in California, the latest polling data might be the nail in the coffin.

In a new survey, conducted from Oct. 14-23 by the Public Policy Institute of California, only 34% of likely California voters planned to vote yes on Prop 26 and just 26% planned to vote yes on Prop 27. On the flip side, 57% planned to vote no on Prop 26 and 67% planned to vote no on Prop 27.

And there aren’t many undecided voters to sway in the days before the Nov. 8 election. For Prop 26, 9% remain undecided. For Prop 27, 8% are undecided. Even if both campaigns can turn all those undecided votes into yes votes, Prop 26 would only get 43% approval and Prop 27 would get just 34% approval.

That would mean no California sports betting until 2025, if it gets approved in the 2024 election.

Another grim sign for both campaigns: 48% of respondents think legal sports betting would be a “bad thing” for California.

And a terrible sign for online sports betting: Now just 41% of adults ages 18-44 support Prop 27 — compared to 51% in the September PPIC poll.

The biggest difference in terms of favoring Prop 26 or Prop 27 came in the San Francisco Bay Area, where 31% support Prop 26 and 17% support Prop 27. There are several large Indian casinos in the Bay Area, including Graton Resort & Casino, the fifth-largest casino in California.

There were 1,111 likely voter respondents in the new October PPIC poll, with a 5.1% margin of error.

NOT UNTIL 2032?? Gambling Expert Says CA Sports Betting Might Not Happen for ‘5-10 Years’

More Prop 26 Details From PPIC Poll

  • Only one demographic group had a majority say yes on Prop 26 — 18-44-year-olds (51% yes, 44% no)
  • 27% of Republicans support, 39% of Democrats support, 36% of independents support
  • 21% of all likely voters say the outcome of Prop 26 is “very important” to them
  • Two geographic areas are tied for the most support: Inland Empire and Los Angeles (38%)

RETAIL SPORTSBOOKS: These Companies Are Positioned to Launch Retail Sportsbooks If Prop 26 Passes

More Prop 27 Details From PPIC Poll

  • 41% of 18-44-year-olds support Prop 27, compared to just 19% aged 45 and older; in the September survey, 51% of 18-44-year-olds planned to vote yes
  • 34% of likely voters said yes on Prop 27 in September — that’s an 8% drop in a month
  • 18% of Republicans support, 27% of Democrats support, 29% of independents support
  • 31% of all likely voters say the outcome of Prop 27 is “very important” to them
  • The Central Valley had the highest percentage of respondents (33%) say yes on Prop 27

IF CA HAS SPORTS BETTING … Potential California Sportsbook Bonuses

About the Author

Matthew Bain

Matthew Bain started as News Editor and Content Manager at California Casinos in 2022. Before that, he spent six years as a sports reporter and then deputy sports editor for the Des Moines Register, during which time he won nine statewide journalism awards, including the Genevieve Mauck Stoufer Outstanding Young Iowa Journalists Award. As deputy sports editor, Matthew oversaw the Register's recruiting coverage while also innovating the outlet's high school sports coverage. Matthew graduated from San Diego State and grew up in California, but he's somehow a Boston Celtics fan. Long story.