“Nicki Minaj is here to play! Guaranteed money! Win for free! ‘MaximBet Play’ is your ticket to victory with free predictor games!” This is an ad for a company that Minaj agreed to represent. Now when you think of Minaj, you think of ‘Anaconda’ or the trending, sped up version of ‘Super Freaky Girl’ on ‘TikTok’, not necessarily this online sports betting and gambling company she is now quite literally the face of.

And how does this already successful female rapper even relate with online gambling? It’s simple, people like you, me and many others know of Minaj. We know her popular songs, her looks, and her endlessly complicated love-life. When we recognize a celebrity, especially in any ads, we are intrigued to watch. Some even feel interested enough to download this “free reward” game.  And really, what’s so wrong with that?

‘MaximBet’ isn’t the only sports gambling and betting app, and with new Prop 27, more apps like it are bound to pop up. Proposition 27 would make online gambling legal within California. Yet there is no protection of the casinos on tribes’ lands that already exist.  

Where is the money going?

Some may claim that online sports betting and gambling will be giving more money to the state, then that money will go back to tribes and homeless centers. This is partly true, the state would in fact get more money with prop 27 being implemented, that being a little under $500 million dollars annually. But where this money is going is a completely different story. 

In order to run these online gambling companies, the owners need to pay the state. The reason for that is because casinos on tribal grounds need to give a certain amount of their profits to the state. This is just the legal side to running a gambling operation. 

Yet, what happens to the rest? Well, ‘MaximBet’ plans to partner with the Mountain Apache tribe in Arizona. However, proposition 27 will be allowing not only partnered gambling companies to run online gaming apps, but out of state companies will be able to offer their apps to citizens of California.

What are the effects? 

Proposition 27 ads describe how enabling online sports betting, state homelessness will be ‘solved’. As if feeding into the problem of gambling, a popular addictive habit, will solve an even bigger problem. It is no shock that holding the title for the most populated state means we also hold the title for the most unsheltered people. 

Ads for voting yes on Prop 27 claim:

• ‘It will put money towards helping the homeless!’

• ‘You will have fun doing it!’

• ‘Tribes get a cut too!’

• ‘It will help with Mental Health!’

Rather than what it much more clearly is, which is allowing bigger companies to get bigger and more people to fall under because of addiction. 

“Experts warn that the accelerated speed of play, easy access and immediate nature of mobile gambling is especially attractive to youth and those prone to impulsive gambling. ” Writer from the Cal Matters Organization stated.

Addiction, it’s almost second nature for Californians to connect the definition to gambling. So how does giving people, especially younger people, more access to gamling solve homelessness? It is always being said that millions will be given to the homeless by passing this proposition, but how much is ‘millions’? That’s the thing, there is no specific number or fraction to back this or provide any legitimacy to these claims.

Hell, even the ballot for the proposition itself doesn’t state the amount that will be given to those suffering with homelessness. Only the amount HHAPP, the State Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention Program, makes on its own.

How can we help? 

It’s mind boggling to think that despite this clear cover up for such a parasitical proposition, people will be voting yes on it. There’s no telling for sure if the amount of people voting no will outweigh the other, but with us as teenagers becoming young adults, we can be sure of propositions like this one not passing. 

While this year there are more Freshmen than Seniors, that doesn’t mean we get to forget about the upperclassmen and their approaching responsibilities. To make California free of addiction and homelessness is impossible, but to make sure by voting that we keep those statistics from growing is what we are capable of. 

If you’re 18, you have this responsibility. You are a registration away from being able to vote, to making sure that your vote will be counted towards keeping California safe. 

Don’t let California become more problematic than we know it to be.