California, famous for being an innovator, is late to adopt sports betting. Even if sports betting is legalized in November due to a pair of ballot initiatives, the state would be 37th to join the party. Thanks to its size and to the strange nature of the dueling initiatives, however, California is in a unique position to make the sports betting industry fairer, safer and more reliable for bettors.

The ad war already has begun, with record amounts of money being spent on the Propositions 26 and 27 campaigns. The arguments for and against legalization have touched on issues ranging from tribal sovereignty to homelessness to gambling addiction. Missing, however, is the concern for the bettors.