Is Online Gambling Illegal In California
- Is Online Gambling Illegal In California Casinos
- Is Online Gambling Illegal In California Legal
- Is Online Gambling Illegal In California Illegal
Gambling or gaming activity is regulated by several different agencies in California. The list below will direct you to the responsible entity. Illegal gambling activity, cardroom activities, background checks, game rules, and self-exclusion at cardrooms Bureau of Gambling Control. While it is illegal to own and operate real money online casinos while living in California, there are no laws stating that it is illegal to play at California gambling sites. However, any online casino you play in must be legally licensed and regulated.
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Last Updated November 2, 2020
Too many players, California – not Nevada – is the center of the poker universe. The state has earned that reputation thanks largely to the card clubs that host high-stakes cash and tournament action year-round. When it comes to online poker, and gambling in general, players are likely to have a number of questions and concerns. That’s why we’ve assembled this guide to online poker in California that encompasses legal issues, history, the very latest regarding poker news from the Golden State and which sites accept CA players.
California’s appearance in gambling headlines is generally a result of some new delay or disagreement regarding the state’s efforts to legalize online poker California. The state has been going back and forth on the issue for approximately ten years now, and recent attempts to rally support for a revised approach also fell flat. While progress was made in the last few years to garner the quell the opposition of the horse racing industry, the bad actor clause remains the final sticking point on which there is no compromise.
| Type/Code | Summary |
|---|---|
| State Code Section(s) | PEN.1.9.10330-337; BPC.4-5 |
| Definition of Gambling | Gambling: To deal, operate, carry on, conduct, maintain, or expose for play any controlled game. |
| Definition of Banking Game or Banked Game | Banking game or banked game: Does not include a controlled game if the published rules of the game feature a player-dealer position and provide that this position must be continuously and systematically rotated amongst each of the participants during the play of the game, ensure that the player-dealer is able to win or lose only a fixed and limited wager during the play of the game, and preclude the house, another entity, a player, or an observer from maintaining or operating as a bank during the course of the game. |
| Online Poker/Gambling | For 10 years (2006-2016), lawmakers considered variations of online poker legislation but failed to pass one through both houses. Some special interests were placated through the years, but the tribes and card rooms could not find agreement on “bad actor” language. Lawmakers finally gave up after finding no compromises in 2016 and have yet to revisit the issue. |
| Live Poker | Live cash games and tournaments are permitted in more than 100 licensed card rooms throughout the state and casinos on Indian reservations. There are special rules pertaining to draw poker, which must be approved by voters in counties with large populations. |
| Casinos | In addition to card rooms that offer non-house-banked games like poker and California blackjack, casinos are located throughout the state on various Indian reservations. Most of those casinos are complete with table games, slot machines, and other games like keno and bingo. |
| Sports Betting | A bill introduced in 2017 to legalize sports betting was still in action in 2018 but had yet to pass as of the summer session. |
| DFS | California considered daily fantasy sports in 2016, but no bill passed, and there have been no proposals since. |
| Other Forms of Gambling | Lottery, pari-mutuel horse wagering, charitable gambling. |
Recent California Headlines for 2019
Is Online Gambling Illegal In California Casinos
While progress was made in the last few years to garner the quell the opposition of the horse racing industry, the bad actor clause remains the final sticking point on which there is no compromise. The most recent attempt at a bill in 2017 by longtime online poker supporter Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer was met with such resistance to compromise on the bad actor debate that the bill was considered dead by mid-April. Jones-Sawyer noted that it might be best to start from the beginning, which looks like won’t happen until 2018 at the soonest.
One interesting development in 2017 was the withdrawal of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians from the PokerStars coalition. The move came about due to the exhaustion of funds over many years pertaining to this issue with no clear resolution in sight, but it leaves the PokerStars group weakened, now boasting of the Morongo tribe as the only Native American faction on board with the removal of the bad actor clause. Future developments regarding this coalition may make way for a new round of talks.
There was little news regarding online poker in 2018. Jones-Sawyer had been so disenchanted with the breakdown of talks in 2017 – after ten years of efforts – that he chose not to introduced online poker legislation in 2018. He suggested that the possibility of legalized sports betting might bring all of the stakeholders back the to the table with more open minds, and online poker might find an avenue via a joint bill. But despite the US Supreme Court ruling in May 2018 that allowed states to regulate sports betting as they chose, California wasn’t one of the states that considered any proposals.
Meanwhile, tribal casino operators’ longstanding frustrations with California card room operators took a new turn. It started many years ago when tribal leaders complained to the California Gambling Control Commission and Bureau of Gambling Control about card rooms that refuse to adhere to the letter of the law regarding banked and percentage-based table games. Tribes asserted that card rooms worked around the law by using third-party proposition players to fill open spots at tables and act as the bank, but the rotations do not take place per the law. After years of inaction by the state’s gambling regulators, the tribes took matters into their own hands. In November, the Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians and Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians filed a lawsuit against numerous casinosin the state, including Bicycle Casino, Commerce Casino, Oceans 11, Hollywood Park, Hawaiian Gardens, Hustler, 25 unnamed proposition players, and unnamed third-party prop player providers.
California Sports Betting Laws 2019-2020
Frustrated lawmakers, frustrated tribal leaders, and scrutinized card rooms may find it difficult to come together on sports betting, online poker, or any other gambling-related matter in 2019.
All Poker and Gambling Laws by State
They said they would do it, and they did it. And this may only be the beginning. The Rincon Band of Luiseno Mission Indians and Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians joined together to file a lawsuit in the County of San Diego in the Superior Court of California.
Read FullCalifornia may not have made any recent progress regarding the legalization of online poker, but the state remains one of the most popular for poker players. There are currently more than 150 card rooms in the state, ranging from small rooms to large facilities dedicated primarily to poker, as well
Read Full- September 25th, 2018
A successful poker player must have confidence. Gordon Vayo has displayed that quality on numerous occasions at the poker tables, whether playing live or online, but none more than in the 2016 World Series of Poker Main Event. On the biggest stage in poker, playing for one of the largest
Read Full - February 14th, 2018
That was quick. Not even two full months into 2018 and news emerges that California will not pursue online poker legislation this year. Even the future in California is unclear and seems dependent upon the upcoming US Supreme Court decision regarding sports betting. According to one legislator who has been
Read Full - November 25th, 2017
California has 88 cardrooms currently operating throughout the state, not including those inside many of the 62 tribal casino operations. The vast majority of cardrooms run smoothly and legitimately, staying well within the guidelines of the California Gambling Control Commission (CGCC) and federal gambling statutes. However, the number of incidents
Read Full - November 21st, 2017
California is a haven for cardrooms. Currently, the California Gambling Control Commission (CGCC) shows 88 active cardrooms throughout the state with 1,997 total tables in operation. This is in addition to the tribal gambling operations in California, which currently total 62 casinos. While state legislators have yet to find agreement
Read Full
California Online Poker Legislation
The path to legalized online poker in California has been full of disappointments. Assemblyman Mike Gatto once claimedthat California’s legislature has seen two to six online gambling bills every year since 2008, with none of them being remotely successful. After significant progress in 2016 that resulted in yet another failure, and a total of ten years of attempts to legalize and regulate California real-money online poker, the issue was put on indefinite hold in 2017 due to a stalemate that has caused many lawmakers and interested parties to leave the discussions in frustration.
The Basics of Playing Online Poker in California
You don’t need to know much about California to know that poker is massively popular in the state. Whether it’s the constant action at the state’s card rooms, the regular presence of California-based players on poker’s world stage, or the steady stream of online poker news coming from the state, everything points to one conclusion: Californians are playing Internet poker in numbers that far outstrip any other state in the US (and probably quite a few countries as well).
Like most, poker players want to know that they’re playing at a reputable site which will offer a fair game. We suggest only sites that are properly licensed and regulated in their jurisdiction, ensuring that Californians play only at legal poker rooms online. You can view this page to get a list of the best sites for your state.
Helpful Gambling Resources & Links
This tremendous tax revenue could be just what California needs to survive its current struggles from the pandemic. Maybe, just maybe, the dollar signs will win out and gambling tax revenue can start supporting California
California residents have a few good options when it comes to gambling in their state. Unlike several other states with much stricter laws around gambling, Californians currently can enjoy cardrooms, Native American casinos, the California State Lottery, pari-mutuel wagering on horse racing, and charitable gaming. Commercial casino-style gaming, however, is presently still prohibited.
But what about online gambling in California? This emerging market has opened up in many places, bringing in much-needed tax revenue and bolstering struggling states during the COVID-19 epidemic. Stuck at home, many Californians have been looking for a way to enjoy their favorite pastime from a safe social distance, too.
Could we soon see the Golden State legalize online gambling? And what would that mean for California?
New Gambling Laws in California?
In 2018, the Supreme Court struck down a 1992 federal law that had previously banned commercial sports betting in most states. This change opened the door to legalizing the estimated $150 billion in illegal wagers on professional and amateur sports that Americans make every year.
Since this ruling, 22 states have legalized sports gambling, with California contemplating the change but struggling to overcome a number of legislative roadblocks. Two California legislators, however, Senator Bill Dodd (D-Napa) and Assemblymember Adam Gray (D-Merced) have taken it upon themselves to draft an amendment to the state’s constitution that would appear on the ballot in November if it is able to pass both houses.
Social and Legislative Roadblocks
The various players here all have different priorities which tend to be at odds of one another. While state legislators’ agendas favor action, tribal casino and poker room operators see the legalization of online gambling as a threat to their businesses in the state. These groups have continued to lobby strongly against the establishment of any new competitors in what they see as their territory.
Any bill that is proposed requires a two-thirds approval from the state legislature, followed by voter approval in a subsequent referendum. Without a consensus among the warring factions, the approval process will be stopped in its tracks. If history is any indicator, gambling legislation has not had a lot of success in California, making it a long-shot at best, despite the interest from several lawmakers.
Recent Legislative Action in California
That said, the forecast for online sports betting does have a brighter outlook than the potential for any online casino legislation in the near future. The 2018 Supreme Court decision that allowed states to legalize sports betting at their discretion definitely opened the door to making sports betting more mainstream in the US and less of a taboo to legislators.
The recent proposal from Dodd and Gray would allow California tribal casinos and racetracks to offer online sportsbooks and online wagering. “We have a duty to bring illegal sports wagering out of the shadows and support our communities with the revenue,” said state Sen. Bill Dodd. “We can’t afford inaction.”
The first step in the legislative process passed when the Democrats on the state’s Senate Governmental Committee advanced their measure in a 9-3 vote in favor.
Pros for California
California lawmakers are watching neighboring states make the most of recent changes to the law, earning significant tax revenue from sports wagering, and in some cases, from Californians.
The tangible benefits of online gambling legislation in California number in the billions. It is estimated that Californians place around $10 billion or more annually in illegal wagers. This money could be harnessed to help combat the $54 billion state budget deficit caused by the catastrophic economic hit the state has taken due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
John Holmes from NoDepositHero comments: “Legalizing online gambling in California would be a tactical move, following the lead of 22 other states, to aid the state’s budget deficit and effectively decriminalize a popular form of entertainment.”
As written, the proposal would funnel revenue generated from sports gambling (10% and 15% for online and mobile bets) into a general fund and be available to “assist the state in recovering from the health and economic damage caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and to fund priorities related to education, public health and public safety.”
Cons for California
The possible budget boost from legalizing online gambling is still disputed, however. Opponents claim that the income would not come close to supporting the ensuing regulatory costs of such a decision.
Additionally, the state’s influential tribal casinos have banded together to squash debate on the topic for years, maintaining their opposition to a constitutional amendment. They testified to the long list of regulatory challenges that mobile wagering would face, such as how to identify and prevent minors from gambling, how to identify and assist problem gamblers, and how to effectively police against unauthorized and suspicious transactions.
Whether or not these challenges can be addressed by the recent amendment is yet to be seen.
Changes on the Horizon?
Is Online Gambling Illegal In California Legal
Significant legislative change related to online gambling in California still faces a lot of opposition and hurdles to overcome in the near future. Supporters of legalization, however, say that legalized sports gambling could generate $200 million in new revenue in the first year with the potential for $500 million or more in additional years as more sportsbooks go live.
Is Online Gambling Illegal In California Illegal
This tremendous tax revenue could be just what California needs to survive its current struggles from the pandemic. Maybe, just maybe, the dollar signs will win out and gambling tax revenue can start supporting California.