Gambling in California
| California law |
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| File:Great Seal of the State of California Colored.svg |
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| Codes |
| Note: There are 29 California codes. |
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Legal forms of gambling in the U.S. state of California include cardrooms, Indian casinos, the California State Lottery, parimutuel wagering on horse racing, and charitable gaming. Commercial casino-style gaming is prohibited and sweepstakes casinos were outlawed in September 2025 after Governor Gavin Newsom signed an anti-sweepstakes bill into law, with an effective date of January 2026. [1][2]
Cardrooms
[edit | edit source]Licensed cardrooms may offer approved card games in which players vie against each other (rather than against the house), such as poker.[3] As of 2019, there were 66 cardrooms operating in the state (and another 21 licensed but not operating).[4] Since 1995, there has been a moratorium on new cardrooms.[5][6] The industry generated $850 million in revenue after payouts in 2018.[5]
Non-banked card games such as poker have always been legal in the state.[7] The California Penal Code, enacted in 1872, prohibited several casino games by name, as well as all house-banked games, but did not outlaw poker.[8] Cardrooms also operate non-banked versions of card games such as pai gow poker and baccarat, where players can take turns playing the dealer hand against the other players.[9] However, in these cardrooms, an independent operator known in state law as a "third party provider of proposition services" usually acts as the "house" and the casino earns revenue on a fee charged to the proposition service provider and fees charged to players to play a hand.[10][11][12] Statewide cardroom regulations were enacted in 1984.[13] In 1997, the Gambling Control Act was adopted, which created the California Gambling Control Commission to regulate California cardrooms.[13]
Charitable gaming
[edit | edit source]Eligible nonprofit organizations may operate bingo games,[14] raffles,[15] and poker nights.[16] Organizations are limited to one poker night per year.[16]
State voters in 1976 approved a constitutional amendment allowing counties and cities to legalize charitable bingo.[17][18] An amendment to allow charitable raffles passed in 2000, and enabling legislation went into effect in 2001.[19][20] Legislation allowing poker night fundraisers took effect in 2007.[21][22]
Parimutuel wagering
[edit | edit source]Parimutuel wagering on horse racing is permitted at racetracks and satellite wagering facilities, and online through advance-deposit wagering providers.[23][24] Extended racing meets are held throughout the year at five tracks: Cal Expo, Del Mar, Golden Gate Fields, Los Alamitos, and Santa Anita.[25] Four other fairgrounds tracks hold brief meets in the summer and early fall.[25] There are 27 satellite wagering facilities throughout the state, most of them found at county fairgrounds, cardrooms, and tribal casinos.[26] Racing and wagering is regulated by the California Horse Racing Board.[27] As of 2018, the annual amount wagered on California races was $3.2 billion, with $662 million retained after payouts.[28]
Horse race wagering was legalized by voter referendum in 1933.[29] Satellite wagering was first legalized at fairgrounds in 1985,[30] and was expanded to private facilities in 2008.[31] Advance-deposit wagering became legal in 2002.[32]
Indian gaming
[edit | edit source]Federally recognized tribes can operate casinos under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. As of 2019, there were 63 casinos operated by 61 different tribes.[33] The industry generates approximately $8 billion in annual revenue after payouts.[5] Pursuant to tribal-state compacts negotiated with the state, tribes with larger casinos share a portion of their revenues with non-gaming or limited gaming tribes (those with fewer than 350 slot machines).[34]
Lottery
[edit | edit source]The California State Lottery offers scratchcards and draw games, including the multi-state Powerball and Mega Millions games.[35]
The Lottery was approved by voter referendum in 1984 and sold its first tickets in 1985.[36]
See also
[edit | edit source]- California Bureau of Gambling Control
- California Gambling Control Commission
- List of casinos in California
References
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- ^ Tibbetts v. Van de Kamp, 222 Cal. App. 3d 392, 393-94 (Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).).
- ^ Cal. Penal Code Sec. 330.11; Bell Gardens v. City of Los Angeles, 231 Cal. App .3d 1563, 1568 (1991); California Gambling Law Resources
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