If the gambling industry has to settle for state-by-state legalization, California signifies the Holy Grail of online betting in the US. It’s by far the most populous country in the union with a $2 trillion economy that could rank number 8 on earth if it had its own country. International gambling websites have gone out of the way to acquire licenses in countries much smaller than California.
All eyes are on California as states mull legalizing a variety of types of online gaming. If California does go the way of legalization, it would by default be the standard by which gambling is quantified from the United States. If the state does finally regulate gaming and it is successful, other states will certainly follow suit. We might even see something finally happen at the national level.
Different pieces of legislation have been released, taken down and reintroduced in the past several decades. We do not have anything important to report yet, but most observers are cautiously optimistic that California will at some point make a serious movement toward legalization. Here is why:
The state has a pro-gambling civilization The country already has legal casinos and card rooms
It is home to numerous Indian tribes who are experienced in gambling California has a spending problem and the potential tax earnings must surely be tempting for state lawmakers
Present List of Betting Sites in California
We’ll discuss the different betting options in California in greater detail below, however I’d like to begin with a fast list of gambling sites which are available right now in California. If you came here looking for a place to bet online, these are the sites that will let you play and bet real money today.
Sports Gambling:
RankBetting SiteBonusRatingVisit
1
100% up to $50
18+ to Play, T&Cs Employ Inspection PLAY NOW
Fantasy Sports:
RankBetting SiteBonusRatingVisit
1
Up to 4 Free Entries
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2
Free Contest Entry
18/21+ to Play, T&Cs Apply Inspection PLAY NOW
Horse and Greyhound Betting:
RankBetting SiteBonusRatingVisit
1
$20 Free + 100% up to $100
18/21+ to Perform, T&Cs Apply Inspection PLAY NOW
2
100% up to $100
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3
Wager $500, Get $100
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Online Lottery Tickets:
RankBetting SiteBonusRatingVisit
1
No Bonuses Offered
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Games of Skill:
RankBetting SiteBonusRatingVisit
1
Daily Offers and Specials
18+ to Perform, T&Cs Apply Review PLAY NOW
Sports Betting at California
Lawmakers in California have demonstrated some interest in legalizing sports gambling of late. A bill introduced at the 2017/18 session proposed amending existing gambling legislation to allow the California legislature to authorize sports gambling contingent upon the Supreme Court overturning the national sports gambling ban (which it did).
ACA 18 itself did not seek to legalize wagering; it rather offered a constitutional amendment that would enable lawmakers to legalize and regulate sports betting in the future. After he introduced the bill, Assemblyman Adam Gray stated,»The choice is not’if we have sports wagering or not have sports wagering.’ We all do have sports wagering.»
The point he was making is that sports betting is already a massive black market in California and across the United States. The American Gaming Association quotes Americans bet at least $154 billion per year on sports with internet sportsbooks and local bookies in contrast to the law. The current condition prohibition is not working, the logic goes, so the smart thing to do is legalize it, regulate it and tax it.
A report from Eilers & Krejcik Gaming published in 2017 considers California is very likely to legalize sports betting within five years from the date of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn PASPA. California has lots of potential to become a significant sports betting market, but as you’ll see in another section, competing interests in the country have a tendency to complicate things.
Assemblyman Gray introduced the same legislation again in 2018 and 2019 since he continues to push the issue. Getting the tribal bands board has been exceedingly difficult since they control a $8 billion gaming industry and therefore are highly reluctant to get on board with sports gambling at risk of opening their profitable compacts with the state to negotiation once more.
Online Poker in California
The quest for online poker in California is being fought in the courtrooms as you read these words. Bills seeking to regulate internet poker have been released every year since 2007. None of those bills have made it all the way through the legislative process because of vying factions on either side of the matter, but every year brings us closer to finding an arrangement that satisfied all interested parties.
In fact, a lot of the problem can be attributed to competing interests in the nation. It appears everybody has an agenda and it isn’t easy to find consensus among the Indian tribes, brick-and-mortar operators and present online brands. One group or another always feels left out or concentrated from the wording of legislation. And to be fair, that’s frequently a legitimate concern.
To add to the difficulty, there continue to be strong lobbying groups that actively fight the legalization of poker or another form of online gaming in the united states. Casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson has pledged to fight legalization across the country. In California alone, he spent more than $300,000 to lobby against poker.
Not one of those bills introduced during the last decade-plus has made considerable progress due to the many competing interests in the nation. The following bill is just one of many attempts to make something happen in California, but it serves as a Normal example of how complicated and difficult It’s to make progress in California:
AB 2291: Promising Start but Died in Committee
Assembly Bill 2291 was first introduced back in February 2014 but never made it outside the committee phase. It was reintroduced in 2015 and 2016, but was still unable to gain the traction it had to make it far in the legislative process.
The bill sought to legalize online poker just and issue 10-year permits to operators. The proposed fee for licensing was initially set at $5,000,000, with this charge being utilized to offset future taxes. Lawmakers bumped that charge up several times until the fee hit a high of $12,500,000 without offsetting taxes.
Historical versions of AB 2291 included several clauses which have caused tension between various factions competing for a piece of the poker pie. Most contentious one of them is a»bad actor» clause. AB 2291 originally sought to require prospective licensees to get a minimum of five years of gaming experience in California. Additionally, it required every aspect of an operation, by its own workers to its gear to its bank accounts to be kept in state.
In essence, AB 2291 would have prevented all of present online poker providers and newer local casinos in California out of competing. The wording of this bill very clearly preferred a few recognized California casino groups at the expense of fair competition.
Another issue with AB 2291 was that it would have prohibited California from entering arrangements with other nations to combine player pools and improve liquidity. In other words, you’d only see different Californians at the table no matter how many sates legalize poker. To top it off, the bill would require the country to opt out of any legislation passed at the national level allowing internet poker.
Some progress was made in 2016 with a suggested amendment that would significantly alter the lousy actor clause. Formerly, the bill would have barred all online poker companies that operated after the passing of the national Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. Such restrictions would have banned established brand such as PokerStars from entering the market.
The previous amendment proposes to instead transfer the chalk date to the bad celebrity clause up to the end of 2011. In other words, sites like PokerStars that operated after the UIGEA but left the marketplace after the Black Friday indictments at 2011. This could prevent the most egregious violators from entering the sector but afford PokerStars a chance to offer online poker legally in California. You may read more about the proposal here.
Looking back in 2018: The Good and Bad
The Poor Lawmakers and tribal groups have been stuck in stalemate for going on four years now. It’s nice to see some progress on this front, but it is also discouraging to find the stubbornness on the portion of varying factions. Poker players would be better served by an open and competitive market and player-sharing arrangements with other nations.
Worse than that, online poker appears to have taken a step back in 2018. For the first time in over a decade, no invoices seeking to legalize online poker were introduced. Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sayer advised Online Poker Report he’s giving up on internet poker legislation for this year since there is just no improvement being made in reaching a compromise between the tribes, local card rooms and other interested parties.
The Great There are some positive things to say about most of this. If poker is really legalized in California, the possible player pool will much larger than that which we have seen in other nations that have legalized online poker. Aside from the fact that 38 million people call California home, the country has a poker culture already thanks to its many brick-and-mortar card rooms.
California is very likely to have fewer issues with geolocation of players due to the sheer size. New Jersey had all types of issues verifying players were really located within the state. This ended up with loads of potential players being unfairly barred in the state-sanctioned sites there. California does not need to contend with congested cities piled up on state boundaries.
Fantasy Sports
Whenever the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was passed in 2006, it supplied two notable exceptions to online gaming: horse racing and fantasy sports. The UIGEA didn’t just exempt those forms of gambling; it essentially gave operators the go-ahead to offer their games to clients right here in the united states.
Some countries have since passed laws banning online fantasy sports but California is not among these. In case you’ve got a thing for sports gambling but would rather do it in a protected and controlled fashion, fantasy sports is your thing to do. You draft a team just like in regular fantasy leagues but now you get paid real cash if you win.
FanDuel.com and DraftKings.com will be the two biggest players in this market. They both accept clients from CA and provide single-day fantasy leagues such as the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, college basketball and college football.
One of the pleasant things about online fantasy sports is every competition only lasts for a week per week in the most. You are not stuck with one team all season. Instead, your team racks up stats over the duration of a single week. You can play in heads-up competitions against other gamers or test your skill in massive tournaments that occasionally give away more than a thousand dollars to the first place winner.
You may read more about dream sports betting here.
Legislative Efforts for Daily Fantasy in California
2016 was an important year for its daily fantasy sports business in California. In January of 2016, lawmakers introduced AB 1437 in an attempt to create a regulatory framework for daily fantasy sports sites. If enacted, the bill would require DFS websites to obtain a license, apply a minimum age of 21 for many clients, maintain all customers’ funds in a segregated account and offer self-exclusion applications for problem gamblers.
The bill advanced previous three major votes with a total of 101 for and 2 against. This is a significant bill for California and it appears increasingly likely to be passed into law. However, the bill itself does not really legalize online fantasy sports contests; it only places the states where the business would be regulated.
California Attorney General Kamala Harris is expected to issue a ruling on whether or not fantasy competitions constitute illegal gambling under law. If she rules favorably, AB 1437 will have everything set up to permit and regulated fantasy sites instantly. The AG’s judgment has been anticipated for at least a year today. Meanwhile, California fantasy sports sites continue to operate freely.
As of 2019, advancement on the bill seems to have completely stalled. The good news is fantasy sports websites are still active through the state. Legalizing dream sports in California would essentially be a formality at this point.
Online Casinos
There are not yet any legal casinos in California. The state has not even tried to pass laws in this regard so it will likely be years before we see legitimate gambling websites open to CA residents.
Don’t be tricked by the countless other sites which are currently recommending»legal» online casinos. These are actually offshore gaming sites that have no legal existence whatsoever in the USA. They are unlicensed and completely unregulated.
Although to be honest, there aren’t any state or federal laws that prohibit playing offshore casinos. If you do choose to play online, nobody will come kick in your front door. The biggest risk is financial — you never know for certain who you’re dealing with on the other side of the screen. Some offshore casinos could be safe while some are clearly outright scams. But no matter where you play, you have no legal recourse if things go belly up.
Your best option would be to look at any of the other legal, licensed and safe types of betting that are available at this time in California. Between horse racing, fantasy sports and also most likely online poker very soon, there are still lots of other methods to play real money games online at protected, accredited websites based in the US.
Horse Betting
Online horse racing is alive and well in California. The horse gambling situation here is not nearly as complicated as the poker scenario. California does allow residents to play US-licensed horse wagering sites for example TwinSpires, BetAmerica and TVG.
Each of the significant US-based horse betting sites accept clients from California. The state also allows off-track betting (OTB) facilities. OTB facilities function as brick-and-mortar betting shops where people can walk in, place bets on races and collect their winnings in person.
Five racetracks run across the state and they too allow for real money wagering. In total, you can bet online at any one of the approved horse gambling websites, off-track with an OTB location or on site at any of the tracks listed below. California is also home to county and state fairs that maintain races in different times each year.
The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) manages all horse racing and wagering within the state. The CHRB’s mission is to guarantee the integrity, viability and security of the nation’s horse racing industry. They manage wagering, breeding, bodily safety and the marketing of horse racing.
California Racetracks
CalExpo:
The California Exposition and State Fair operates a yearlong harness racetrack that runs daily at approximately 5:20 PM.
1600 Exposition Drive
Sacramento, CA 95815
Website Golden Gate Fields
This track is located in Berkley with races and simulcast events every week.
1100 Eastshore Highway
Berkley, CA 94710
Site Santa Anita
Santa Anita is one of the most widely recognized racetracks in the USA and home to Significant events such as the Santa Anita Derby, Santa Anita Handicap and sometimes the Breeder’s Cup.
285 W. Huntington Drive
Arcadia, CA 91007
Website Del Mar
Del Mar started in 1937 with a renowned race between Seabiscuit and Ligaroti. Seabiscuit hardly took the race became a legend of his own. Today, Del Mar plays host to racing festivals, events, family fun days and much more.
2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd..
Del Mar, CA 92014
Site Los Alamitos
Los Alamitos Race Course is home to daylight thoroughbred racing and nighttime quarter racing. The trail is home to a number of the largest quarter horse stakes races in the US.
4961 E. Katella Ave.
Los Alamitos, CA 90720
Website OTB Locations
You will find 31 off-track betting facilities in California. OTB centers are seen at fairgrounds, racetracks, specialty OTB shops, casinos and fairgrounds. You can see a full list of addresses and locations .
Internet Bingo
There seems to be no motive to specifically legalize online bingo in California. The only realistic possibility I see of online bingo coming to California is whether it gets caught up in some upcoming internet casino legislation.
Lottery Games
Ca lottoThe California state lottery isn’t authorized to sell tickets on the internet or via telephone. For many years, the federal Wire Act prohibited states from selling lotto tickets on the net. This might not be the case forever. In 2009, New York and Illinois requested the Department of Justice to clarify its position on the Wire Act and clarify exactly which forms of online gambling were illegal.
The DOJ reacted in 2011 with a decision that’d far-reaching effects beyond just the lottery. Back in September of 2011, the DOJ issued an announcement that its official interpretation of the Wire Act only applies to sports betting over the internet. This gave states the go-ahead to sell tickets online if they select.
Lottery Subscription Sites California has not yet joined the growing list of countries that sell lottery tickets on the web. But, there are a number of messenger services that can go buy lottery tickets at face value for a monthly subscription fee. You may log into all those sites, pay attention for your tickets and then the corporation will go and buy tickets in your title.
For instance, LottoGopher.com is a California-based membership website that offers this specific service. The website is registered in California, its owners are background-checked by lottery commission officials and it abides by all state and federal legislation. They are not legally allowed to sell lotto tickets for more than face value, so they rather charge users a subscription fee.
A membership at LottoGopher lets you buy tickets online, pick certain amounts as well as form lottery pools along with different members. If you win less than $600, Lotto Gopher will charge the winnings to your account which you can then draw straight to the bank. Should you win more than $600, Lotto Gopher will claim the prize on your behalf in person then send you a check for the complete amount.
The website doesn’t require a cut of your winnings. They only way that they make money is by charging clients a flat subscription fee. At this moment, LottoGopher is only available in California. You can learn more and give it a try here:
www.lottogopher.com
lotto gopher
Is Lotto Gopher untrue?
Yes. They are based in California and state lottery officials understand they are. It’s great that you ask though because there are a ton of online lotto sites which look and feel legit but are not. Lotto Gopher really is lawful and 100% untrue.
They have been all over the press in the past few years as well. Forbes and ABC have written articles regarding the service.
