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US Gambling Sites / California Betting Sites 2024

Best Gambling Sites in California: The Top Alternative Betting Websites in California

Last Updated on 28/02/2024
Fact checked by: Drew the DFS Guy

California is a state that’s known for entertainment and for many attractions, but when it comes to sports betting there are few options to work with for local residents. Sports betting offline is illegal except for race track wagering and at Indian Casinos.

Gamblers that take the time to get to know the history of the state and what it offers will begin to understand why the laws are the way they are today. It will also allow you to find out if you can bet online in California with the best California betting sites.

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Introduction to the California gambling industry

California started off with card rooms as its main source of gambling even before it became a state, and ever since this tradition has been maintained. While both offline and online sports betting in California isn't legal, racebooks are. Horse betting became legal in 1933 and has remained that way ever since. There are a total of four race tracks in California for gamblers to visit and to wager on. They can choose from Santa Anita Park, Del Mar Racetrack, Golden Gates Fields and the Los Alamitos track when looking to wager.

There are many supporters in the California government for legalizing sports betting now that the Supreme Court has decided to leave the regulations up to individual states, but there isn’t any current legislation for sports betting or online casinos that’s being pushed through. Thus, sports betting California online is outlawed.

While full on sports betting is indeed illegal in the Golden State, Daily Fantasy Sports continues to remain popular and is perfectly legal in California.

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Gambling guide

Permitted / Offered? Notes & Restrictions
Land-Based Casinos Yes There are more than 140 land based casinos and card rooms throughout the state.
Online Gambling Yes Certain restrictions on games apply
Sports Betting Yes Horse betting and DFS are two sports betting options that are legal, all other sports betting is currently not regulated in the state.
Lottery Yes Lottery wagering is available throughout the state.
Daily Fantasy Sports Yes Daily fantasy sports are allowed in California because there is no legislation against it.
House Gambling Yes Controlled games like poker are allowed at home in California.
Minimum Gambling Age 18 or 21 18 is the minimum gambling age, but most Indian casinos require players to be 21 because they serve alcohol.

While many states throughout the United States have sportsbook locations that can be visited and used to wager on major sporting events, that’s not the case with California. Sports betting in California is not legal currently, even when done in person. The only exception to this rule is betting on horse races, which is allowed in person.

That means that serious gamblers will have to look elsewhere or participate in fantasy sports, or social sportsbooks rather than wagering any real money. For some gamblers, this is a major downside to living in California, but there is no way to predict when or if sports betting in California is going to become legal to do. There are four racebooks around California for interested bettors. Players can visit Santa Anita Park, Del Mar Racetrack, Golden Gates Fields or Los Alamitos track to place wagers on their favorite racers. These locations have been around for many years and are designed to offer a pleasant wagering experience to all who visit, but they have no online presence in the state at all.

Sports betting California online: Ever since the Supreme Court passed its latest ruling stating that each state has the right to choose whether to legalize online sports betting or not, a select group of government officials in California have been pushing to legalize online sports betting. It’s currently illegal to use California sports betting sites and there aren’t any laws that are being considered at the moment. That means that gamblers interested in placing online sports wagers in California are left using fantasy sports, social casinos and playing for fun online. There aren’t any real money sports options to work with in California currently, which leaves interested players without much to do when it comes to best online sports betting California. Check out the best online sports betting Los Angeles sites, San Francisco betting sites, or best online sports betting Illinois sites for alternative options.

Mobile sports betting gambling situation - sports betting California online

California legal betting: Mobile gambling, just like online gambling in California is illegal to do within the state. There is no support for mobile wagering other than for fantasy sports. Gamblers that want to participate in sports betting in California online will have to wait for legislation changes to occur first to do so legally. Citizens of the Golden State might be waiting some time before they can take advantage of the best betting apps in the US. For states that do allow sports betting legally, their residents can wager with mobile devices as long as they are physically located within the state.

Californians can’t participate in sports-betting using online platforms located in other states because of the Wire Act. The Wire Act prohibits players from placing wagers on platforms in different states or countries legally. That’s why gamblers on mobile devices in approved states must utilize location software to prove they are within the state borders in order to place wagers. Find out if you can bet online in Delaware or bet online in Iowa legally. Once sports betting California online is legalized, mobile apps will definitely come to the fore.

Online sports betting operator licensing process - How licenses work for sports betting California online

In other states, operators must follow strict guidelines and requirements in order to get licensed to do business online. This includes meeting regulator standards, being audited by a governing body and making any necessary changes that are required of them. Since online sports betting in California isn’t legal to do currently, there is no process for operators to follow to be allowed to offer online wagering to the Californians. If the law changes in California and online sports betting becomes legal there will be laws put in place requiring each sportsbook site to meet specific requirements just like the establishments in other states presently. This ensures that sports betting California online practices are above board. If laws do change, we'll be sure to update our guides so that you can easily compare online sportsbooks. We'll certainly be the first to let you know if California legal sports betting is in action and how to enjoy sports betting California online. 

While there is no online sports betting in California, there is plenty of wagering that occurs within the state overall. With more than 150 casinos and card rooms throughout the state, four active horse tracks and more than 20,000 retail lottery locations, the state’s residents are very familiar with wagering. Sports betting only makes up a small portion of the wagering done throughout the state though, and the four horse tracks are where that occurs. Horse racing was legalized in the state in 1933 and since then there have been multiple horse tracks to place bets at. Each of the tracks offers many different wagering options to work with, giving gamblers lots of flexibility.

Gambling has developed over the years to include casinos and lotteries, but sports betting never really developed over time like the other forms of wagering did. California helped to spread the popularity of card gambling and poker throughout the rest of the United States, but other than that the state doesn’t affect the gambling industry in a major way. Most forms of wagering are illegal within the state and only race bettors really take part in sports wagering within the state at all. Indiana betting sites might be a different story as California legal betting has not been put into motion yet. Similarly, bookmakers in New York may also have different rules and regulations.

💻 Can I gamble online on sports in California?

No, not legally. Online sports betting is not legal in California and there is no legislation for online sports betting in the state currently.

🥇What is the best sports betting site in California?

Other than Fantasy Sports betting sites there are no sports betting sites available in California at all. Gamblers that want to try out online sports betting in California will have to use Fantasy sports sites to do so.

Betting on horse races became legal in 1933, but other sports betting is not legal currently. Even though the Supreme Court made it legal to wager on sports online, there hasn’t been a law passing California legal sports betting.

❓Where can I sports bet in California using my mobile device?

There is no location in California to play using a mobile device. There are some other states such as New Jersey that allow mobile sports wagering though.

🤷 Who is responsible for regulating California online sports gambling?

Since California legal betting is not allowed, there is no regulatory body in charge of the activity. If it does become legal in the future a government-run organization will be responsible for regulating the activity.

Top sports betting providers elsewhere in the US

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Responsible online gambling

Even though online sports wagering is not legal in California, there are organizations in place to help with gambling addiction at standard casinos and race tracks around the state. The California Council on Problem Gambling is one of the most well-established organizations that provide help to problem gamblers throughout the state. There is a hotline number that can be called for help. Gamblers in California can set wagering limits and also time limits for when they can access the different racetracks, lotteries and casinos throughout the state. Between all of these different controls, gamblers have tools available to help them with gambling addiction and the problems that it causes. While there is no online betting in California, offline users can seek out help reliably and shouldn’t have trouble getting the help that they need.

Daily fantasy sports (DFS): win with expertise

For sports bettors interested in wagering on different sporting events in the state of California, daily fantasy sports or DFS is a possible option. While the activity isn’t legal specifically, it’s not illegal either. Instead it’s in a grey area. Gamblers that want to wager on the activity can feel free to do so until legislation comes out saying otherwise in California. There are several different sites dedicated to DFS wagering, making it simple to find a quality site to play at.

Daily Fantasy sports or DFS is a short-term version of standard fantasy sports leagues. Every member of the league puts together a team of fantasy players. The performance of those different players in real-life matches determines how many points the fantasy teams earn as well. The player with the most points at the end of the day with daily fantasy sports wins all the prize money that the different players put in. There are many different fantasy sports platforms to choose from, and each offers its own wagering tools and features to work with. Interested gamblers should take the time to learn more about all of the different options to decide which to play.

Social Casinos: If you want to play, but not for real

Along with standard casinos and racetracks, another way to have fun gambling and to meet new people is by using social casinos online. Everything you need to know about social casinos tells you how players get started gambling with play money. The sites offer access to sports betting, slots, table games and more, all using play money. They’re simple to get started with, offer a good blend of features and are a lot of fun to make use of. These establishments are available online and most are quick and simple to sign up for.

Social casinos are often created by reputable online casino operators which are licensed in other US states. They provide you with a good way to decide if they are worth playing or not, and one or two are so much fun we have no doubt they'll be in the running for the best California online casino site, once the online gambling laws have been relaxed in CA. People just looking for an entertaining betting experience online may thoroughly enjoy what the sites have to offer. Every gambler is given free coins to play with, and winning frequently will help them amass a fortune of free coins to play at higher bet levels and against more skilled players.

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