Is California’s gambling war the priciest campaign in US history? You bet

Efforts to legalize sports betting have sparked a $400m battle - and left voters scratching their heads

The campaign that could bring legalized sports betting to California is the most expensive ballot-initiative fight in US history, costing $400m and counting, and pitting wealthy Indigenous tribes against online gambling companies over a potentially multibillion-dollar marketplace.

Californians have been bombarded with advertising for months, much of it making promises far beyond a plump payoff from a game wager. Some ads coming from the consortium of gambling companies barely mention online betting.