David Cooper | January 3, 2023 | Updated on: October 1st, 2024
Find the best casinos in California right here, at Casino US! When most people think about gambling, they immediately think of Las Vegas. But gamblers can find some of the best casinos in the state of California.
With around 150 legal casinos in the Golden State, California can give the state of Nevada a run for its money. Before you go and declare California to be the new gambling mecca, there are a few things to keep in mind.
The casino games on offer depend on whether you’re playing at a card room casino or a Native American casino. In addition to this, these Native American casinos are located on reservations, making them a little more difficult to access.
But for those living in, or visiting California, there are still plenty of casino options available. These include both land-based casinos, and online options. Find the top casinos in California, here at Casino US!
Live Gambling Allowed in California
Gambling in California has expanded to cater to bettors that have a large interest in betting like some states. Horse racing betting in California is legal and it is done through pool-betting, also known as pari-mutuel.
Another form of gambling that is accepted in California is the lottery. Various lottery games such as instant tickets can be enjoyed by Californians. Games such as Bingo ad raffles are ones that gamblers can enjoy, however, these can be played through registered charities.
Types Online Gambling Permitted in California
The state of California only permits horse racing betting as the main online gambling that bettors can enjoy. Some fantasy sports websites accept Californians, like Draftkings, Yahoo! and FanDuel are just some of the Daily fantasy sports sites that cater to players based in California.
Players can enjoy internet gaming at the casino sites we’ve listed.
For some gambling laws to be affirmed they need to go through a vote. Like we’ve previously mentioned, horse racing was the first form of betting to be legalized in the state and it is regulated by the California Horse Racing Board. Card clubs are permitted in California and they have been around for a very long time.
Card clubs were initially meant to poker activities but as the years progressed other forms of casino card games were included such as Baccarat and Blackjack.
Gambling laws in The Golden State
With nearly 40 million people living in the state, you’d hope there would be enough casinos to meet the demand.
There are around 150 legal casinos in CA. But things get a little more complicated. Not all the best casinos offer the same games due to state laws.
If a player is looking to go to their nearest casino and play slots, roulette, or craps, you’re probably going to be disappointed. The card club gambling casinos in California are not permitted to allow players to play casino games that rely solely on luck. This means that these card club casinos can offer games where player skill comes into play, such as Pai Gow poker, baccarat, and blackjack, but not roulette.
If you want to play these sorts of games at places to gamble in California, you’ll need to head to one run by Native Americans. They’re able to offer games that don’t require any skill from the player. They do tend to be a little more out of the way for most Californians, though. If you’re wondering “where can I find the best casinos in CA near me?” – Casino US is here to help.
List of Top 10 California Casinos
Casino | Games | Other Features | Contacts |
Hustler casino | 50 poker tables & 30 table games | Restaurants & bars | 1000 West Redondo Beach Blvd
Gardena, CA 90247 310 – 719 – 9800 |
Pala Casino Resort & Spa | 2000 Slots
80 table games 15 table poker |
Spa
Hotel Restaurants |
35008 Pala
Temecula Road Pala, CA 92059 1-877-946-7252 |
Fantasy Springs Resort & Casinos | 2000 slots
40 table games |
50 Room Hotel
Restaurants Bars, Bowling, Golf Live Entertainment |
84-245 Indio Springs Parkway.
Indio, CA 92203 800-827-2946 |
Pechanga Resort & Casino | 4000 Slots
154 Table games 700 Seat Bingo |
Restaurants, Bar, Comedy Cub, Cabaret Lounge, Spa, Hotel | 45000 Pechanga Parkway, Temecula, CA 92592
1-877-711-2946 |
Harrah’s Ricon | 1700 Slots
68+ Table Games |
Restaurants
Golf, Spa, Hotel |
777 Harrah’s Rincon Way, Valley Center, CA 92082
760-751-3100 |
Cache Creek Casino | 2,400 Slot Machines
Table Games |
Variety of Asian-inspired cuisine, hotel | 14455 Highway 16, Brooks, California 95606
530-796-3118 |
Chumash Casino | 2,000 Slot Machines
Poker Table Games Bingo |
Hotel, Restaurants, Live music | 3400 East Highway 246, Santa Ynez, CA 93460
(800) 248-6274 |
Graton Casino | 3,000 Slot Machines
Live Poker Room Table Games |
Restaurants
Live entertainment Spa |
630 Park Court, Rohnert Park, CA 94928
(707) 588-7100 |
Morongo Casino | 2,700 Slot Machines
74 table games 13 table poker rooms Bingo hall |
Restaurants
Spa Hotel Live entertainment |
49500 Seminole Drive
Cabazon, CA 92230 (951) 849-3080 |
San Manuel Indian Casino | 3,600 Slot Machines
100+ table games |
Hotel
Restaurants Live entertainment |
777 San Manuel Boulevard
Highland, CA 92346 800-359-2464 |
Online Gambling in California
Many states are currently looking into passing laws to officially allow gambling online. With California’s large population, this would probably be a success. However, for any law like this to be allowed, it would likely need the backing of the Native American casinos. At this time, no such law has been passed. This means there are no laws permitting online poker, or playing blackjack online.
Gambling Laws In California
It is likely that casino laws will be officially allowing casino sites in CA. The land-based casinos in California will need to be given some incentive to support the bill, but California cannot afford to ignore this.
Until online gambling in California is officially legalized, players are still free to enjoy an online gaming casino site that accepts players.
Best Casinos In California Gambling Resources
Casinos can trace its roots back to 1933. This was when betting on horse racing was legalized for the first time, thanks to a constitutional amendment. However, this change in the law led to a change in the public’s opinion as well. Consequently, there was an increase in the number of horse racing tracks.
While horse racing gained popularity in the 1930s, gambling in California at actual casinos only started to take off in 2000. It was only then that the State started to allow Native American tribes to run casinos legally.
How to Bet on Football
More information relating to gambling in California can be found at the following websites:
California Office of Problem Gambling
While many people gamble without issue, some develop an addiction and become problem gamblers. The California Office of Problem Gambling offers people who suffer from gambling problems can get information and assistance.
California CPG
The California CPG, Council on Problem Gambling, aims to provide help to people who are addicted to gambling, as well as their families. This is a non-profit organization that offers information on how to identify problem gamblers.
California Casinos FAQs
We’ve previously mentioned that horse racing is the only betting permitted in California. Players can enjoy casino games at offshore sites accepting players.
Indian casinos are allowed to have various casino games on offer that are banked by house. Card clubs are not allowed to have poker and other card games on offer that are not banked by the house.
This can be divided into two. For the lottery and bingo, it starts at 18 and for casinos as well as racing it is 21.
Yes, the state has a lottery that was approved by voters over 30 years ago.
There is a bill that is currently doing the rounds for daily fantasy sports to be legalized in California. However, FanDuel and Dratfkings have previously stated that it is legal. This could be due to the lack of law around it.
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