Bordered by Nevada, Arizona, the Pacific Ocean, Oregon, and the Mexican state of Baja California, California is the most populous US state. Although California is not as well known with its gambling industry as its neighboring state Nevada, such activities are gaining much ground there as well. Presently, California has more than 60 tribal casinos, 100 card rooms, state-run lottery products, and race tracks that all attract lots of attention.
Currently, California is celebrated for its rich and diverse gambling industry, and back in 2019, the revenue after winnings was around $8 billion. The betting options are by no means far and few between as Californians are given access to card rooms, bingo, horse race betting, tribal casinos, and the state-run lottery. Read ahead to learn more about the types of legal gambling available in California and the emerging gambling-related issues.
California Gambling Laws Summary
The gambling-related legislation of California has not swept from one extreme to another, which is a common occurrence in some other parts of the globe and the general regulation of betting in the US. What should be noted is that the industry is prevented from expanding because of conflicts of interest. One of the examples for these was the lawsuit tribal casinos introduced back in 2018 in which they insisted that the state needs to crack down on card rooms, and more specifically, the availability of casino-style games.
While the state Constitution of California makes gambling an illegal activity, there are several activities that do not fall under its provisions. As we explained already, Californians are allowed to take part in pari-mutuel betting on horse races, play bingo and the state-run lottery, visit card rooms, or tribal casinos.
As far as tribal casinos are concerned, they can offer slots and card games, and the terms according which such gambling premises are operated are determined within contracts signed by each tribe and the state. The state has a monopoly over lotteries, and the California State Lottery is the only one, which has permission to operate there. Pari-mutuel horse racing, on the other hand, is regulated under the California Horse Racing Law.
In fact, the most sweeping change in the body of laws of the state took place back in 2000 when tribal casinos were made legal. Even though the legalization of online gambling has turned into a hot topic over the past few years, and several steps were made in this direction, such betting opportunities are currently unavailable within the state.
Poker fans are also left without options as, although it was poised for success, the Gray Bill, which was introduced back in 2016 and which should have legalized online poker, ultimately failed to pass. Social gaming and skill-based games are among the available betting opportunities in California.
Under Section 330 of the Penal Code of California, if someone is found to take part in illegal gambling, this person will face a fine of up to $1,000 and imprisonment of up to six months.
| Form of Gambling | Legal |
| Online Gambling | No |
| Charitable Gambling | Yes |
| Lottery | Yes |
| Offline Gambling | Yes, but only tribal casinos and card rooms |
According to the California gambling laws, the minimum age to play in casinos or card rooms is 18 years, but this might not always be the case as because of the state alcohol law, some operators have chosen to raise the minimum legal age to 21. To engage in pari-mutuel betting, play bingo, or the lottery, citizens of the state should be at least 18 years old.
Gambling in California Emerging Issues
In spite of California’s openness to gambling, sports betting is yet to be added to the agenda of gambling activities citizens of the state can legally engage in. Even after the federal ban on betting on sports was lifted and the increased interest in the legalization of this form of gambling, only pari-mutuel wagering on horse racing is currently allowed. This is not to say that there have not been attempts to make sports betting legal in the past few years, and Assemblyman Adam Gray and Senator Bill Dodd attempted to introduce a bill, which should add this form of gambling to the ballot box, but they fell through.
The expired compacts of around 35 of the tribal casinos are also among the topical questions. The compacts were negotiated back in 1999, and outline the number of slot machines that can be installed, how much casinos can expand, and how much operators make.