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California Educators and Teachers Overwhelmingly OPPOSE Proposition 27

California Educators and Teachers Overwhelmingly OPPOSE Proposition 27

Sacramento, CA – This week, the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) and the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) voted to officially oppose Prop 27 – the Corporate Online Gambling Proposition.

CFT and ACSA now join the California Teachers Association in strong opposition to the deceptive November 2022 statewide ballot measure that would legalize online and mobile sports gambling in California. Prop 27 was specifically written to avoid providing any tax revenues from online gambling to public schools. The three organizations collectively represent 447,000 educators and teachers across the state.

“Cell phones and mobile devices have become a way of life for even our youngest children. Proposition 27 would turn virtually every cell phone, laptop and tablet into a gambling device giving youth unprecedented access to gambling at their fingertips,” said Erin M. Simon, President of the Association of School Administrators. “Our communities should be focused on protecting children and the danger Proposition 27 poses for youth cannot be understated.”

“Research shows online and mobile sports betting is highly addictive, especially for youth and other vulnerable communities,” said Jeff Freitas, President of CFT – A Union of Educators and Classified Professionals. “Prop 27 will also put California’s students at risk by failing to invest revenue in our state’s education system. This measure is a bad deal for California and for our public schools. We urge voters to reject Prop 27.”

“CTA opposes Prop 27. Online gambling corporations would take 90% of the profits out of state. Not a single penny is directed to our students or our state’s public schools,” said E. Toby Boyd, President of California Teachers Association.

Background:

Sponsored by big, out-of-state, online gambling corporations like DraftKings and FanDuel, Prop 27 would legalize online and mobile sports gambling throughout the state – turning virtually every cell phone, laptop and tablet into a gambling device.

Parents, educators and others warn this deceptive measure would expose kids to increased risks of addiction and problem gambling. In fact, research from the Journal of Gambling Issues found the accelerated speed of play and easily accessible nature of online and mobile gambling are especially attractive to youth. Further, this measure explicitly circumvents Proposition 98’s guaranteed minimum funding to California public schools – shortchanging schools and public education. Under Prop 27, out-of-state gambling corporations would profit billions from online sports gambling, but not a single penny of tax revenues would be dedicated to schools or public education.