California Can’t Be Only State With No Sports Betting, “Goodfellas” Screenwriter Says

Nicholas Pileggi, a journalist and screenwriter whose film credits include “Goodfellas” and “Casino,” says California cannot be the “only place” without legal sports betting.

Asked if sports betting should be legal in California, Pileggi told Gambling.com, “You can’t be the only place where it's illegal."  Pileggi divides his time between residences in New York City and Los Angeles. Gambling.com spoke with him in Los Angeles. 

Though illegal in California, sports betting is legal in its three neighboring states—Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona. Nationwide, sports betting is legal and operational in 38 states and Washington, D.C. Voters approved Missouri sports betting last November, but state regulators have not given the OK for wagering to begin legally there.

Pileggi noted that legal sports betting is “another tax revenue for the states.” He said legal wagering also takes illegal business away from underworld bookies. Those bookies aren’t taxed or regulated.

Over the last few years, states have collected billions in tax revenue from legal sports betting for projects such as road construction, education, and gambling addiction programs. For instance, New York alone collected $188.53 million in sports betting tax revenue during the second quarter of 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Pileggi said states have realized that sports betting is “very profitable.”

“Why leave it to a bunch of gangsters?” he said.

Mob Movie Credentials

As a reporter, Pileggi, who turns 92 in February, covered organized crime and more for the Associated Press and New York magazine beginning in the 1950s. He and film director Martin Scorsese co-wrote the Mafia movies “Goodfellas” and “Casino.” Those movies were based on two of Pileggi’s nonfiction books, “Wiseguy” and “Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas.”

Pileggi also wrote the script for “The Alto Knights,” a true-crime movie about the feud decades ago between mobsters Frank Costello and Vito Genovese. Barry Levinson directed the movie, which is scheduled to be released this March.

Pileggi said the start of Prohibition in 1920 institutionalized corruption in the U.S., launching the Mob’s bootlegging operations. The Mob also became heavily involved in another lucrative enterprise, gambling, which was illegal for years in most of the country.

However, with the end of Prohibition in 1933 and the gradual legalization of casino gambling and sports betting in most states, organized crime figures no longer had a monopoly on those activities. That essentially ended Mafia wars over bookmaking operations, Pileggi said.

“Nobody is fighting over who has the gambling at Yonkers racetrack,” he said. “The state does not shoot people for gambling.”

California Years Away From Legal Sports Betting

Though sports betting is legal in most states, it is illegal in California and Texas, the two most populous states.

In 2022, California voters rejected two ballot measures that would have legalized sports betting. One measure would have permitted in-person sports betting at tribal casinos and horse tracks, and the other, backed by commercial sports betting operators, would have allowed mobile sports betting on devices such as cellphones.

California tribes, which have exclusive gaming rights in the state, have since said they will decide when and how sports betting is implemented. At a recent industry conference in Spain, tribal leaders indicated they might not seek another public vote on sports betting in California until 2028. Commercial sportsbook operators have taken a cooperative approach with the tribes on the issue in that state.

In Texas, another push is underway at the Legislature in Austin to expand legal gaming. Whether that will succeed is unclear, despite backing from popular sports teams like the Houston Astros and Dallas Cowboys.

Super Bowl Major Betting Event

Meanwhile, with Super Bowl 59 coming up on Feb. 9 in New Orleans, states with legal sports betting are expected to receive a boost in tax revenue. The Super Bowl traditionally is the most heavily bet single sporting event in the nation.

In this season’s title game, the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs face the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles. The Chiefs, attempting to win their third straight Super Bowl, are favored by 1.5 points at BetMGM Sportsbook.

Don't forget to consult our list of the top NFL betting sites before placing your wagers.