It may come as a shock to those not living in California, but a state that boasts live sporting events on a daily basis that attract a nationwide audience, and is home to some of the biggest sporting names on the planet, still has no legal sports betting.
Gamblers are forced to head out of state to Montana in the north, or west to Nevada or Arizona, to place their bets, with no signs of any movement on legislation to open up either online sports betting or in-person gambling until the end of 2022 at the earliest.
The indication is that any movement in online betting is still several years away, with the dozens of casinos on tribal land across the state more likely to see an opening up of sports betting. California also has a number of licensed card rooms separate from the casinos, venues looking to open up their facilities to offer online and retail sports betting. Other gambling options in the state are horse race betting and the California lottery.
California Betting
Online sports betting is illegal in the state of California and in-person sports betting is effectively outlawed. There are, however, illegal offshore sportsbooks that will accept bets from residents of the state, but they offer no consumer protection so users have limited rights if winning bets are not paid out.
California Casinos
There are no legal online casino facilities but there are dozens of land-based casinos across the state offering card games, slots and a variety of other table games.
California Poker
While online poker is outlawed, the casinos and card rooms – there are around 90 licensed card rooms in the state – offer a variety of poker options to players.
California Horse Racing Betting
The state has some of the biggest and best horse racing facilities in the US with some of the richest races on the planet run at the like of Santa Anita and Del Mar. There is legal parimutuel betting controlled by the Californian Horse Racing Board, with legal online facilities offered by the likes of TVG and BetAmerica.
California Lottery
The state lottery has been running since 1984 and while there are numerous retailers across the state selling tickets, you cannot purchase tickets online.
California DFS
Whilst there has been no official regulation of the games in California, the state has the biggest market for DFS in the US.
FAQs
Is it legal to gamble in CA?
Despite a lot of competing voices demanding action on online sports betting, there appears little sign of any movement to open up online markets in the near future.
Where can I get help with problem gambling in CA?
If you are worried about your own gambling, or a friend or relative is struggling to cope, help is available. California – National Council on Problem Gambling (ncpgambling.org).