California’s Chicken Ranch Tribe launches state’s first sports betting-style app

Earlier this month, the Chicken Ranch Tribe of Me-Wuk Indians in California found an innovative way to legally offer a sports betting product in the state.

In November 2022, California voted against the legalization of tribal sports betting, but now one tribe, the Chicken Ranch Tribe of Me-Wuk Indians, has launched Playbawk, a Class II bingo-based, sports-themed betting app that doesn’t require any state authorization.

As reported by PlayUSA last week, the app was created in partnership with solutions provider Vetnos to offer its popular PlaySqor product, with the tribe rebranding it Playbawk by way of a chicken-themed play on its name.

Although Playbawk has been designed for mobile devices, it can only be used on the Chicken Ranch reservation near Yosemite National Park in Northern California.

The app allows participants to wager on the performances of professional athletes in a parlay pick’em-style game.

Players pick which athlete will score the highest against nine matchups in the same sport.

These picks are then placed strategically on a tic-tac-toe board and the more cells a player fills in, the bigger the prize they win.

Crucially, because the app does not allow players to place bets directly on the outcome of sporting events, it is not considered to be a Class III product.

As a Class II gaming product, the Chicken Ranch Tribe does not need permission from the state to offer the app and can regulate the app independently. As no gaming compact has been entered into, the tribe is not required to pay a share of any revenue to the state of California.