California’s sports betting hopes were dashed on Monday as tribal opposition to a state legislator’s proposal proved too high a hurdle.

On Monday, Bloomberg reported that state Sen. Bill Dodd was withdrawing his Senate Constitutional Amendment 6 (SCA-6), which would have asked state voters to amend the state constitution to allow land-based and mobile wagering by tribal casino operators and state racetracks.  

Dodd, who sponsored SCA-6 along with Assemblyman Adam Gray, cited opposition from tribal operators as the primary factor in his decision to pull the bill. Restrictions imposed by COVID-19 also played a role in preventing the state’s “significantly diverse stakeholders” from arriving at a mutually acceptable compromise.

In order to make it onto November’s ballot, SCA-6 would have needed to be approved by a two-thirds majority in both legislative chambers by Thursday. The next opportunity for a referendum on amending the constitution won’t come until November 2022, meaning California bettors won’t have legal wagering at their disposal until 2023 at the earliest.