California’s tribal casino operators have been given more time to pursue legal sports betting while the state’s cardroom operators have been given more time to twiddle their thumbs.

On Thursday, California Superior Court Judge James Arguelles gave a coalition of gaming tribes another 90 days in which to gather the signatures necessary to get their proposed sports betting amendment on the state’s 2022 election ballot. The tribes now have until Oct. 12 to gather the minimum 1.1m signatures (and ideally around 1.5m).

The tribes sued the state last month seeking 180 additional days in which to continue their signature-gathering efforts, which were close to completion in March when the state imposed social distancing restrictions due to COVID-19. While the tribes missed the window for the 2020 ballot, Thursday’s ruling means they don’t have to start all over for their 2022 push.

Arguelles’ ruling is only tentative, giving both the tribes and the state some wiggle room regarding exactly when the signatures must be submitted for verification. The state expressed some unease that the process would coincide with the 2020 election, possibly putting an undue burden on election officials, and Arguelles signalled that he would be comfortable hearing requests for minor schedule tinkering.