• Best Slots In Northern California
• Best Slots In California
• Loose Slots In California
• Online Slots In California

• Year California Regulated Gambling: Poker (1850), Horseracing (1933), Lottery (1984), Casinos (1992)
• Estimated Tax Revenue from Gambling: $280 million
• Estimated Gambling Revenue (from casinos): $1.3 billion from slots and card clubs; Non-taxed tribal gaming unknown
• California Gambling Age: 18 for lottery and bingo, 21 for casinos and racing
• Smoking ban: Smoking not permitted indoors except at tribal casinos, which are not covered by state smoking bans.
• California Online gambling: Horseracing is the only form of legal online gambling

Best Slots In Northern California

List of casinos in the U.S. State of California; Casino City County State District Type Comments The 101 Casino: Petaluma: Sonoma: California: Card room: The 500 Club: Clovis: Fresno. Today 62 of the 109 California tribes own tribal casinos. California has 69 total Native American casinos including 50 Indian casinos, 16 Indian casino resorts and 5 mini-casinos. These casinos host 70,000+ total slot machines and 2,000+ table games. These numbers are more than any other state. The hottest slots in the coolest setting are waiting for you in beautiful Palm Springs, one of California’s most adored resort getaways. Play the newest, most exciting slot machines, the favorite classics, and progressives. There is something for everyone in this slot player’s paradise.

California gambling has a long and complicated history. It is home to some of the largest poker rooms in the world. There are also more than 60 Indian California casinos. Poker is not considered gambling, according to the state constitution and future court rulings. Horse racing dates back to the Great Depression. There is also a state lottery and charitable gaming. The California Legislature is currently discussing the expansion of legalized gambling in the state. Online poker, sports betting, and daily fantasy sports are all segments under consideration.

With such a large amount of California casinos and poker rooms, you can look through our map of the top California casinos.

Paying Gambling Taxes in California

Do you have to pay taxes on your gambling winnings? Yes! OnlineUnitedStatesCasinos has gathered everything you need to know about paying taxes on your gambling winnings straight from a Certified Public Accountant. For more information please visit our exclusive Gambling Taxes article.

Types of California Online Gambling Allowed

The only legal California online gambling according to the law is horseracing. TVG is the main provider in California. It operates many simulcasts betting sites in the advance deposit wagering industry in the state. Other major providers accept Californians, including TwinSpires and BetAmerica.

Daily fantasy sports site’s like DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo! accept California players. These companies claim an exemption under California’s skill game laws. No action by the state has questioned this opinion.

There have been attempts to legalize online poker. The potential market participants cannot agree on the terms to move the idea forward. A bill has died in California every year in the legislature since the late 2000s because all sides care unable to come to a compromise. Some tribes do not want the horseracing industry or PokerStars, the largest poker site in the world, involved in California gambling. Other major players partnered with PokerStars fight to approve them, creating an impasse.

Types of California Live Gambling

• Slots: Yes
• Blackjack: Yes
• Poker: Yes
• Craps/Roulette: No
• Horses: Yes
• Lottery: Yes

There are many options that California gambling has to offer. Horseracing is legal. It is operated through pari-mutuel pools. Bettors can wager on live races or one in a race book at the track.

The California Lottery was created to fund education. Instant tickets and lotto drawings are available to players. Bingo and raffles are permitted through registered charities.

Card clubs date back generations in California. This is where poker is played. Card games traditionally considered to be banked by the house were later added. California card clubs use an unusual twist in table games. Blackjack, Pai Gow Poker, Pai Gow Tiles, and others are banked by propositional players. Others at the table have the ability to bank a hand on their turn.

There are currently over 150 California casinos operating today, most of them thanks to their card and poker rooms.

California Gambling Laws

All forms of California gambling laws must be approved by voters through a constitutional amendment. Every form of legal gambling in California went through this process that includes a statewide referendum. Most forms of illegal gambling are guilty of a misdemeanor.

Horseracing was the first form of betting permitted in California. Bets enter a pari-mutuel pool. Bettors may also participate in off-track betting at race books. These must be located at California racetracks. Racing is regulated by the California Horse Racing Board.

The California Lottery was created to fund public schools. It is permitted to sell scratch-off tickets for instant games and lotto tickets that involve number drawings. The California Lottery is permitted to enter interstate lotto drawings that include Powerball and Mega Millions.

California permits charities to operate games of chance. The proceeds may not exceed 20% of the prize pool or $2,000, whichever is greater. Only volunteers may operate the game. The games may not be spread in a commercial establishment, even if operated by the charity. There can be no commercial influence in charitable gaming. Charitable games may be operated by Native American reservations.

Card clubs are legal throughout California. The roots of this business date back to poker. Operations expanded to casino games that use cards over the years. Stud and draw games were the original offerings of California card clubs. Pan, Pai Gow Tiles, and Pai Gow Poker were other games popular in California card clubs in the early days. Baccarat, blackjack, and other games that are typically banked by the house emerged in the 2000’s when California casinos started to pop up.

The card club games that are not traditionally poker have a California twist. The house may not bank bets in card clubs. This created what is known as a prop banker. Players often refer to this person as the corporation. The prop banker pays a commission to the house for its action. Any player may also book the action in turn. Like prop bankers, a player that assumes the role of the house for a hand must pay the house commission from the play. Some card clubs frown upon players taking an active role in banking the action but it is perfectly legal.

California casinos operated by Indian tribes may offer slots, video poker, live poker, off-track betting, bingo and table games. The difference is that California casinos do not have to pay taxes on games permitted at card clubs, charities or racetracks. There are also different rules with table games that make the atmosphere closer to that of Las Vegas. Craps and roulette are not legal in California. There are unique alternatives to these games that use cards and machines instead of standard dice and wheels.

List of California Casinos

There are more than 150 casinos in California between the card clubs and reservations. Most are located in Southern California near San Diego and Los Angeles. The largest card clubs are Hustler, Bicycle, Commerce, and Hawaiian Gardens. These are all near Los Angeles. Large casinos in Southern California include Morongo, Pechanga and Harrah’s Rincon.

Most residents are no more than a half-hour drive of a card club or tribal California casino. All major cities have somewhere to play poker. The number of California reservations means that slots and video poker are never farther than a 30-minute drive. These California casinos offer players all of the same services and games that you may find in Las Vegas or Atlantic City.

There are many California casinos and poker rooms spread throughout the state. This is great for poker players, as the locations and websites are found below.

Best Slots In California

There are seven live horseracing tracks in California. The major venue is Del Mar Racetrack. Santa Anita and Fresno Race Track are others. Each offer live and simulcast racing.

California Gambling History

Poker has always enjoyed an exemption under California gambling law. It is not considered gambling under the California Constitution.

Voters approved Proposition 5 on June 27, 1933. This legalized pari-mutuel horseracing in the state. The exacta was pioneered at the Hollywood Park track in 1971. Off-track betting became legal in 1985.

Voters approved a constitutional amendment in November 1983 that created a state lottery. The top two lottery retailers are located along the Nevada border. One is just across the state line from Primm, NV. This gives access to Las Vegas gamblers about 45 miles away. The second highest grossing lottery retailer is convenient to Reno and Lake Tahoe players. Nevada does not have a competing state lottery.

Loose Slots In California

Proposition 1A approved tribal casinos in California in November 2000. This permitted slots and video poker for the first time in the state. Gaming compacts between the tribes and the governor.

Online poker proponents have tried to legalize the game every year since the late 2000’s. Only online poker has been proposed. Casino games are not a part of any online gaming expansion proposals.

There have also been attempts to legalize sports betting. There has been little progress on that front. Sports betting expansion is specifically prohibited under the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. Daily fantasy sports are experiencing more traction in the state legislature. A bill that would legalize and regulate the game first passed out of committee in January 2016.

California Casinos & Gambling FAQ

There are more than 100 poker rooms in California.

Online poker is not legal in California. Bills have failed every year in the legislature this decade.

Dice games are illegal in California. Some reservation casinos offer California Craps where cards are used in place of dice.

No, but video versions of the game are considered allowable slots when on tribal land.

Sites like DraftKings and FanDuel assert that daily fantasy sports are legal in California. A bill that would regulate these sites is circulating the state legislature.

The only form of online gambling explicitly legal in California is off-track betting on horse racing.

Card clubs are permitted to offer poker and card games that are not house banked. Native American casinos may spread these games, as well as slots and video poker.

California does not permit card clubs to act as the house that banks casino games. Card clubs employ outside prop bankers. These people book the action and pay a commission to the house on the action. Other players may book action when the button is placed on their spot at the table.

This is another name for the prop banker in a California card club.

Online Slots In California

The California Lottery was approved by voters in 1983.

The California Lottery sells scratch-off tickets and lotto drawings. These include Powerball and Mega Millions.

The minimum California gambling age is 18 for lottery and bingo, and 21 for casinos and racing.

Introduction to California Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020

California slot machine casino gambling consists of 65 tribal casinos, the third-largest number of casinos in any U.S. state after Nevada and Oklahoma.

I’ve dedicated this weekly series to slot enthusiasts such as yourself as you master casino slots and win your way to success by using this State-By-State Online Resource to improve your slots gambling performance by reviewing your state’s slots gaming industry.

Keep Reading … Or Watch Instead!

Or … Listen Instead!

Find my podcast wherever you listen to audio!

Relevant Legal Statutes on Gambling in California*

The minimum legal gambling age in California depends upon the gambling activity:

• Land-Based Casinos: 18 or, if serving alcohol, 21
• Poker Rooms: 18 or, if serving alcohol, 21
• Bingo: 18
• Lottery: 18
• Pari-Mutuel Wagering: 18

Slot Machine Private Ownership in California

It is legal to own a slot machine privately in California if it is 25 years old or older.

Gaming Control Board in California

The California Gambling Control Commission supports the regulation of tribal gaming through oversight activities as defined in California’s 61 tribal-state compacts.

Further, the Bureau of Gambling Control within California’s Department of Justice provides state law enforcement authority with jurisdiction over gambling activities.

Non-slots-related gaming control boards include the California Horse Racing Board and the California Lottery Commission.

Casinos in California

California has 65 American Indian tribal casinos, ten racetracks without gaming machines, numerous card rooms also without gaming machines, and cruise ships with onboard casinos to Hawaii, Alaska, and international destinations.

The largest casino in California is San Manuel Casino having 4,800 gaming machines.

The second-largest casino is Pechanga Resort Casino with 4,000 gaming machines.

Commercial Casinos in California

There are no commercial casinos with slot machines in California.

Tribal Casinos in California

California’s 65 tribal casinos are:

1. Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa in Palm Springs, 115 miles east of Los Angeles.
2. Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa in Rancho Mirage, 115 miles east of Los Angeles.
3. Augustine Casino in Coachella, 125 miles east of Los Angeles.
4. Barona Resort & Casino in Lakeside, 15 miles northeast of San Diego.
5. Bear River Casino Resort in Loleta, 10 miles south of Eureka;
6. Black Oak Casino Resort in Tuolumne, 100 miles southeast of Sacramento.
7. Blue Lake Casino Hotel in Blue Lake, 10 miles north of Eureka.
8. Cache Creek Casino Resort in Brooks, 35 miles northwest of Sacramento.
9. Cahuilla Casino Hotel in Anza, 30 miles south of Palm Springs.
10. Casino Pauma in Pauma Valley, 35 miles northeast of San Diego.
11. Cher-Ae Heights Casino in Trinidad, 25 miles north of Eureka.
12. Chicken Ranch Casino in Jamestown, 100 miles southeast of Sacramento.
13. Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino in Coarsegold, 35 miles north of Fresno.
14. Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, 40 miles northwest of Santa Barbara.
15. Colusa Casino Resort in Colusa, 75 miles north of Sacramento.
16. Coyote Valley Casino in Redwood Valley, 115 miles north of San Francisco.
17. Desert Rose Casino in Alturas, 100 miles north of Susanville.
18. Diamond Mountain Casino Hotel & Brewery in Susanville, 160 miles northeast of Sacramento.
19. Eagle Mountain Casino in Porterville, 60 miles southeast of Fresno.
20. Elk Valley Casino in Crescent City, 84 miles north of Eureka.
21. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, 125 miles east of Los Angeles.
22. Feather Falls Casino & Lodge in Oroville, 100 miles north of Sacramento.
23. Fort Independence Travel Center & Winnedumah Winns Casino in Independence, 90 miles east of Fresno.
24. Garcia River Casino in Point Arena, 130 miles north of San Francisco.
25. Gold Country Casino Resort in Oroville, 100 miles north of Sacramento.
26. Golden Acorn Casino Travel Center in Campo, 40 miles southeast of San Diego.
27. Graton Resort & Casino in Rohnert Park, 50 miles north of San Francisco.
28. Hard Rock Casino & Hotel Sacramento at Fire Mountain in Wheatland, 36 miles north of Sacramento.
29. Harrah’s Resort Southern California in Valley Center, 35 miles northeast of San Diego.
30. Havasu Landing Resort & Casino in Havasu Lake, 200 miles east of Los Angeles.
31. Hidden Oaks Casino in Covelo, 150 miles northwest of Sacramento.
32. Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort in Jackson, 50 miles southeast of Sacramento.
33. Jamul Casino in Jamul, 10 miles east of San Diego.
34. Konocti Vista Casino Resort in Lakeport, 120 miles north of San Francisco.
35. Lucky 7 Casino Hotel in Smith River, 100 miles north of Eureka.
36. Mono Wind Casino in Auberry, 30 miles northeast of Fresno.
37. Morongo Casino Resort Spa in Cabazon, 90 miles east of Los Angeles.
38. Pala Casino Spa and Resort in Pala, 35 miles northeast of San Diego.
39. Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, located 50 miles north of San Diego.
40. Pit River Casino in Burney, 190 miles north of Sacramento.
41. Quechan Casino Resort in Winterhaven, 170 miles east of San Diego.
42. Rain Rock Casino in Yreka, 250 miles north of Sacramento.
43. Red Earth Casino in Salton Sea Beach, 114 miles southeast of Riverside.
44. Red Fox Casino in Laytonville, 150 miles northwest of Sacramento.
45. Red Hawk Casino in Placerville, 40 miles east of Sacramento.
46. Redwood Hotel Casino in Klamath, 65 miles north of Eureka.
47. River Rock Casino in Geyserville, 75 miles north of San Francisco.
48. Robinson Rancheria Resort, Casino & Bingo in Nice, 115 miles northwest of Sacramento.
49. Rolling Hills Casino Resort in Corning, 115 miles north of Sacramento.
50. Running Creek Casino in Upper Lake, 120 miles northwest of Sacramento.
51. San Manuel Casino in Highland, located 65 miles east of Los Angeles.
52. San Pablo Lytton Casino in San Pablo, 15 miles north of Oakland.
53. Sherwood Valley Casino in Willits, 130 miles north of San Francisco.
54. Soboba Casino Resort in San Jacinto, 90 miles east of Los Angeles.
55. Spotlight 29 Casino in Coachella, 130 miles east of Los Angeles.
56. Sycuan Casino & Resort in El Cajon, 10 miles east of San Diego.
57. Table Mountain Casino in Friant, 15 miles north of Fresno.
58. Tachi Palace Casino Resort in Lemoore, 50 miles south of Fresno.
59. Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, 35 miles northeast of Sacramento.
60. Tortoise Rock Casino in Twentynine Palms, 125 miles east of Los Angeles.
61. Twin Pine Casino & Hotel in Middletown, 100 miles north of San Francisco.
62. Valley View Casino & Hotel in Valley Center, 35 miles northeast of San Diego.
63. Viejas Casino & Resort in Alpine, 25 miles east of San Diego.
64. Wanaaha Casino in Bishop, 130 miles northeast of Fresno.
65. Win-River Casino & Resort in Redding, 163 miles north of Sacramento.

Other Gambling Establishments

As an alternative to enjoying California slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state. Bordering California is:

• North: Oregon Slots
• East: Nevada Slots and Arizona Slots
• South: The country of Mexico
• West: Pacific Ocean

Each of the links above will take you to my blog for that neighboring U.S. state to California.

Our California Slots Facebook Community

Are you interested in sharing and learning with other slots enthusiasts in California? If so, join our California slots community on Facebook. All you’ll need is a Facebook profile to freely join this closed Facebook Group community.

There, you can meet online and privately share your slots experiences with local slots enthusiasts about playing slot machines in California. Join us!

Payouts and Returns in California

Tribal-state gaming compacts negotiated between the state of California and its 61 tribes do not include theoretical payout limits nor require public reporting of return statistics.

Summary of California Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020

California slot machine casino gambling consists of 65 tribal casinos generally located on remote tribal reservations throughout the state.

Annual Progress in California Slot Machine Casino Gambling

Over the last year, Thunder Valley Casino Resort has fallen from second-largest casino to fourth largest after San Manuel Casino, Pechanga Resort Casino, and Graton Resort & Casino.

Also, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sacramento at Fire Mountain has, at long last, opened.

Finally, one casino has permanently closed and another underwent a name change:

• Lucky Bear Casino in Hoopa has permanently closed.
• Paiute Palace Casino in Bishop is now the Wanaaha Casino.

Related Posts from Professor Slots

Other States from Professor Slots

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Have fun, be safe, and make good choices!
By Jon H. Friedl, Jr. Ph.D., President
Jon Friedl, LLC