Are Casinos Legal In California
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Maryland Casino Facts. Is Gambling Legal in Maryland and what are the best online casinos for players in MD? California’s numerous card rooms are included in the order, but not its tribal casinos, which are not subject to the laws of the state. Native American-owned venues began reopening against.
It’s no surprise that the golden state, being the most populous, as well as renowned for its liberal ways, is home to more licensed card rooms than any other state, including Nevada. These card rooms are not officially designated as casinos, and there are fewer of them than there were.
A number of years ago the state boasted over 150 card rooms, their number whittled down by 2013 to just eighty-eight. These rooms continue to play a vital role in a state where gambling is controlled but not suppressed.
There are also over fifty Indian casinos on reservation land, spread out across the state. These range in scale from small local operations, to full-blown Sin City style affairs with all the bells and whistles. Live poker has been legal here for over 100 years, and licensed since the mid-eighties.
Poker legend Antonio Esfandiari grew up in California, currently holder of the record for winner of the biggest prize in poker tournament history, beating 47 other players who each put up $1 million vying to win the $18 million first prize, in the Big One for One Drop back in 2012.
Is Online Gambling Legal in California
The only kind of licensed wagering one can partake in online within California at the present time is horse racing, with a number of sites such as TVG and Youbet offering options on this. But your options most likely won’t remain so limited for very much longer.
Things are changing pretty fast in California and there is widespread expectation that the state will move towards legislating online poker in the near future.
It’s not yet certain exactly how soon the state might move on this, or whether legislation will extend to online casinos as well as poker, but the word is that various parties within the state are following events in New Jersey with extremely close interest.
There have indeed been several failed attempts to legislate for online poker in the state. Competing interests from the card clubs and tribal casinos have been amongst the stumbling blocks to this legislation passing.
In the current climate, with changes afoot in New Jersey, Delaware and of course Nevada, there is fairly widespread expectation that the next effort may have better prospects. Some believe that within a little year, we could see state licensed online poker games in California. One noted lobbyist, David Quintana, has declared it as a coin flip, as to whether legislation passes this year.
The latest effort from State Senator Lou Correa [2] contains provision only for intrastate poker, and would only allow existing card rooms and Indian casinos to run online poker sites. This is the first proposal with backing from a large unified group of tribal casinos.
Anyone over 21 would be allowed to play within Californian borders under this proposal, while unlicensed play would qualify as a misdemeanor [3] , both for players and sites. This relatively minor punishment of a range of unlicensed online gaming would seem to open the doors to unlicensed operators of sports betting and casinos.
New licensed sites would also have to pay a $5 million licensing fee, which would be offset against later taxes taken on wagered monies.
There is no angle available for major sites such as Pokerstars in this proposed legislation, a bad actor clause similar to that enshrined in Nevadan law limits all new license holders to those who have never taken an illegal wager from a US citizen.
The question of whether gambling online in California is at the current time an illegal act is a somewhat complicated one, occupying a fuzzy area of the law. However, with a liberal approach governing gambling in the state, it appears unlikely that an individual caught wagering online would face prosecution. That does not equate to the activity being technically legal. In addition, such activity does of course contravene federal legislation such as the UIEGA of 2006.
Earlier initiatives to legislate have included proposals governing more widespread gambling, and this would likely occur in the fullness of time, in the wake of more limited legislation over poker play.
Read More State Laws
The Letter of the Law
First of all, anyone hoping to open a new physical venue for licensed gambling is likely to make slow progress; there is a moratorium on new card rooms until 2020. (As of 2021, no new card rooms have been added.)
For those keen legal minds amongst you who wish to scrutinize the fine print, the whole body of existing state law on gambling can be found here [4] .
Certain forms of gambling are illegal in the state, including craps, although as usual the Indian casinos have found workarounds. Greyhound racing is also not allowed in California, although pari-mutuel horse-racing is.
A state lottery exists, with over 20,000 retailers distributing tickets.
A state code revision from 2003 makes legal all home card games which are played, “in private homes or residences, in which no person makes money for operating the game, except as a player.” So provided you don’t take a rake or any other consideration, you should be fine on running a quiet little home poker game too.
Indian casinos have been allowed since a constitutional amendment was passed by popular vote in 2000. In the wake of this decision, individual tribes have applied for “compacts” with the state government. These govern the amount of tax payable, and determine a sharing of profits across tribes who do not possess casinos.
Some casinos have developed ingenious alternative forms of craps and roulette which fall within the letter of the law through utilizing cards for play, rather than the traditional dice and wheel associated with these two games.
Types of Legal and Regulated Card Clubs in Cali
While the card rooms specialize in poker, many of them do host other games such as California 21 (a player-as-bank version of blackjack), Pai Gow poker and others. Alterations such as California 21 are necessitated by a ruling outlawing games where the house pays and takes players’ bets. However, these games take a service fee per hand for running the game, and this novel form of rake can severely limit the profitability of such player banked games.
For a full list of licensed card rooms across California, look no further than this map-based guide [5] . One of the glitzier options, Casino M8trix in San Jose, certainly models itself after the Las Vegas casinos, and offers an impressive variety of Texas Hold’em, Omaha Hi/Lo and others including a version called “double hand” poker in which each player must form two “best hands”, one using five cards and one using just two, and must win both hands to rake the pot.
A twoplustwo thread from 2009 [6] debates the best options in Los Angeles, but far and away the best known and largest is the Commerce. This “card casino” can boast of being the biggest card room in the United States, as well as offering more Baccarat tables than any other venue in California. The Commerce offers an impressive variety of poker games, including Razz, Pot Limit Omaha and various forms of Stud Poker as well as Texas Hold’em.
For a venue outside of Sin City, the Commerce offers a great range of poker tournaments [7] , running the full gamut of buy-ins all the way up to a $10,000 buy-in with around a $6 million prize pool each year, the main event of the LA Poker Classic series.
Nowhere really lays it on as heavy as the Commerce for sheer action, with its 200 tables enough to keep every kind of player occupied. In case you do fancy a change of pace, or ambience, there are in fact another eight card rooms within a short drive. LA really is the place to be for poker.
The summer of 2013 has seen the card rooms close ranks in an effort to prepare for a significant shake up if and when legislation for online poker goes through. Austin Lee, spokesman for the newly formed “Communities for California Cardrooms” has allegedly already hired two notable LA lobbying firms, and commented in explanation that the anticipated legislation will bring with it “competitive issues” .
For a comprehensive list of the day’s poker tournaments, you have the people at cardplayer.com to thank for this helpful guide.
Regulated Tribal Casinos
As for the rich selection of full-blown casinos to choose from on tribal land, just take a look at the scattering of red dots on this map [9] . There is certainly an abundance of options for reservation gaming across the state.
One of the top options amongst these must be the Barona Casino Resort [10] , featuring a hotel, fine dining and golf as well as over 2,000 slots and video poker machines, and 80 table games running up to $2 – $5 No Limit cash games. Players may call in by phone up to 90 minutes before arrival to reserve a seat at a game.
Barona has actually already set up its own online poker service [11] , providing strictly free roll play at this time. This is clearly an effort to build a user base now, in the hope of converting with its existing traffic into a real money site once the legal framework is in place.
Busts and Arrests
Venues masquerading as ordinary internet and copy shops periodically get shut down across California for functioning as online gambling havens, such as these three locations in Carson. These venues offer a form of sweepstake similar to online slots, and were first declared illegal by the Bureau of Gambling Control in 2012. There are thought to be over 300 such businesses running illicitly across the state.
A rather more serious spate of arrests took place in SoCal in 2013, related to an illegal gambling ring operated by Macho Sports [12] . It is said that fourteen of a total of eighteen arrests in relation to this operation were made within the state of California.
Officers had been wiretapping and working undercover in the group for over two years, and the owners are accused of illegally taking online bets from Californians via agents working out of Peru, of processing these payments using Californian bookies, and worst of all, of using violent methods to collect monies owed. The accused face charges of up to 20 years in jail, along with six figure fines.
Summary
California is a state with a long proud history of licensed gambling, and as such your options are many and varied. Principally, your choices are as follows.
You can partake in the state lottery, as well as various forms of bingo and raffle. You may wander down to a local horse track and place a wager, or even bet on races from the comfort of your home via state licensed online betting facilities. You may run a social card game of any sort you wish provided no rake or house consideration is taken.
For more serious action, take your pick from eighty-eight card rooms running across the state, and for the widest possible range of gaming options, head to one of over fifty Indian casinos dotted across the length and breadth of the golden state. If you feel like a detox after this venture, many of the reservations offer regular Powwows where alcohol and drug use is strictly prohibited.
If you’re looking for a bit of online gambling, while the only licensed option as of right now is horse racing, legislation for poker and other games shouldn’t be all that far away. If you want to keep to the letter of the law, just bide your time a little bit longer, and maybe lobby your local government to hurry things along.
Resourcs for This Article
- DailyBreeze.com: Law enforcement cracking down on Internet gambling operations in Southern California
Indian Casinos and Poker Cardrooms
This is a gaming guide for Indian casinos, poker casinos, cardrooms and card clubs in San Francisco, San Jose, East Bay, Sacramento, Monterey, Mendocino, and ALL Northern and Central California counties!
Northern California has 45 Indian Casinos
California has the largest Indian gaming revenues in the nation. Forty five of the state's Indian casinos are located in Northern and Central California. Many are within short driving distances of the major population areas.
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Norcal Casinos
Northern California has forty-five casinos owned by Native American tribes. There are also dozens of cardrooms, or poker-only casinos, that are licensed and regulated by the California Gambling Control Commission.
Major Casino Regions
There are two major regions for casino gaming in Northern California:
The Sacramento area has nine Indian casinos within short driving distances. There are also local state-licensed cardroooms.
San Francisco peninsula has no Indian casinos. The closest is San Pablo Lytton Casino in the East Bay. Two others are awithin an 80 mile drive. Most casinos in the Bay Area are state-licensed cardrooms.
News Headlines
Mechoopda Casino project partners with Tachi Palace groupFebruary 2, 2021 - The Mechoopda Indian Tribe, which is preparing to build a new casino near Chico, has partnered with a consulting, development and management company named Palace Hospitality. That company... Read moreAll-New Chicken Ranch Casino & Resort planned for 2023February 1, 2021 - Last week the Chicken Ranch Rancheria Me-Wuk Indians of California announced plans to replace the Chicken Ranch Casino with an all-new casino, hotel and conference center.... Read moreHard Rock Casino Tejon receives Federal approvalJanuary 24, 2021 - The Tejon Indian Tribe received federal approval on Jan. 8 to build a Hard Rock Casino located 15 miles south of Bakersfield, CA. The plan includes a casino, hotel, event center, restaurants, RV park... Read moreCalifornia Tribes gather enough signatures to put sports betting on 2022 ballotDecember 24, 2020 - California tribes through the Coalition to Authorize Sports Wagering have submitted 1.4 million signatures to the state to place a sports betting measure on the Nov. 8, 2022 ballot.... Read moreEagle Mountain Casino gets final approval to build new casino hotel in PortervilleDecember 19, 2020 - The federal government gave final approval last week to the Tule River Indian Tribe to build and move into a new casino at a site near the Porterville Municipal Airport.... Read more Headlines continued...Future Indian Casinos in Northern California
Several new Indian casinos are planned, in the approval process or have started construction.
Cloverdale Rancheria Resort & Casino (Pending)
Sonoma County - Highway 101, Cloverdale, CAIone Band of Miwoks Casino Project (Approved)
State Highway 49, Plymouth, Amador County, CANorth Fork Rancheria Resort Hotel & Casino near Madera (Pending)
Madera County, CAMechoopda Casino Project near Chico (Pending)
Butte County - Intersection of Highway 99 and Highway 149, CAWilton Elk Grove Casino (Late 2021)
Sacramento County - Highway 99 and Grant Line Road, Elk Grove, CA
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Northern California Indian Casinos
Find Indian Casinos listed below by county. Detailed information about each casino is available by clicking the name of the casino.
Minimum Gambling Age is 18 years or older in Indian Casino. However, most Indian casinos serve alcohol and have set the minimum age to enter at 21 to comply with the minimum age of 21 required by their alcohol license. Some casinos allow people under 18 or 21 years old to enter unrestricted areas in their building, but you should check with the casino first before visiting. Other casinos enforce the 21 years limit throughout their facility.

AMADOR COUNTY
Harrah's Northern California Casino
Ione, California 95640
Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort
Jackson, California 95642
Ione Band of Miwoks Casino Project
Plymouth, CA
BUTTE COUNTY
Feather Falls Casino & Lodge
Oroville, California 95966-9379
Gold Country Casino
Oroville, CA 95966
Mechoopda Casino Project (future)
Butte County, CA
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COLUSA COUNTY
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
San Pablo Lytton Casino
San Pablo, CA 94806
DEL NORTE COUNTY
Elk Valley Casino
Crescent City, California 95531-9241
Lucky 7 Casino
Smith River, California 95567
Lucky 7 Fuel Mart
Smith River, CA 95567
Redwood Hotel Casino
Klamath, CA 95548
EL DORADO COUNTY
FRESNO COUNTY
Mono Wind Casino
Auberry, California 93602-1060
Table Mountain Casino
Friant, California 93626
HUMBOLDT COUNTY
Bear River Casino
Loleta, CA 95551
Blue Lake Casino
Blue Lake, CA 95525
Playstation 777
Blue Lake, CA 95525
Cher-Ae Heights Bingo & Casino
Trinidad, California 95570-9767
Lucky Bear Casino
Hoopa, CA 95546
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INYO COUNTY
Wanaaha Casino
Bishop, California 93514
Winnedumah Win's Casino
Independence, California 93526
KERN COUNTY
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tejon (Proposed)
Mettler, Kern County, CA
(661) 834-8566
Ridgecrest Native American Entertainment & Gaming Facility (Proposed)
Ridgecrest, CA 93555
KINGS COUNTY
Tachi Palace Casino Resort
Lemoore, California 93245-9760
LAKE COUNTY
Konocti Vista Casino Resort, Marina & RV Park
Finley, CA 95435
Robinson Rancheria Resort & Casino
Nice, California 95464-8619
Running Creek Casino
Upper Lake, CA 95485
Twin Pine Casino
Middletown, California 95461-9754
LASSEN COUNTY
Diamond Mountain Casino
Susanville, California 96130
MADERA COUNTY
Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino
Coarsegold, California 93614
North Fork Rancheria Resort Hotel & Casino
Madera, CA
MENDOCINO COUNTY
Coyote Valley Casino
Redwood Valley, CA 95418
Garcia River Casino
Point Arena, CA 95468
Hidden Oaks Casino
Covelo, CA 95428
Hopland Sho-Ka-Wah Casino & Bingo
CLOSED 2019
Hopland, California 95449-9725
Red Fox Casino & Bingo
Laytonville, California 95454
Sherwood Valley Casino
Willits, California 95490-4674
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MODOC COUNTY
PLACER COUNTY
Thunder Valley Casino
Lincoln CA 95648
SACRAMENTO COUNTY
Elk Grove Casino (Late 2021)
Elk Grove, Sacramento County, CA
SHASTA COUNTY
Pit River Casino
Burney, California 96013-4064
Win-River Resort & Casino
Redding, California 96001-5530
SISKIYOU COUNTY
SONOMA COUNTY
Cloverdale Rancheria Resort & Casino
Cloverdale, CA
Graton Resort & Casino
Rohnert Park, California 95441
River Rock Casino
Geyserville, California 95441
TEHAMA COUNTY
TULARE COUNTY
Eagle Mountain Casino
Porterville, California 93258
TUOLUMNE COUNTY
Black Oak Casino
Tuolumne, California 95379-9724
Chicken Ranch Casino
Jamestown, California 95327-9779
YOLO COUNTY
YUBA COUNTY
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sacramento at Fire Mountain
Olivehurst, California
News Articles
Gov. Newsom signs six Indian gaming compacts
August 7, 2020
Governor Gavin Newsom signed 6 tribal-state gaming compacts this week. One of the compacts authorizes a new casino in Amador County. Another authorizes Eagle Mountain Casino to relocate near the Porterville Airport. The other four renew 20 more years of gaming at Feather Falls Casino, Lucky 7 Casino, Rolling Hills Casino and Red Hawk Casino.
SUMMARY OF THE GAMING COMPACTS
Ione Band of Miwok Indians
NEW AMADOR COUNTY CASINO
Located 30 miles southeast of Sacramento on Hwy 49 in Plymouth.
This is the first tribal-state gaming compact for the Ione Band of Miwoks, and the compact provides the final state approval to proceed with construction of their casino. Under terms of the compact, the casino may have up to 1,200 slot machines, any card games and table games legal under California law, and off-track horserace betting.
Tule River Indian Tribe of California
EAGLE MOUNTAIN CASINO RELOCATION
681 South Tule Road, Porterville, California 93258
On August 3, 2020 Gov. Gavin Newsome signed and new gaming compact with the Tule River Indian Tribe. In addition he signed a separate document addressed to the U.S. Department of Interior accepting the relocation of the Eagle Mountaion Casino.
The compact is an amended version of the 2017 compact between the Tule River Indian Tribe and the State and authorizes the Tribe to operate their casino at the new relocation site. The compact also authorizes up to 2,500 slot machines. Eagle Mountain Casino currently has 1,200 slots. The compact also authorizes any card games and table games legalized by the State. In addition the casino may offer off-track horse betting.
Mooretown Rancheria of Maidu Indians
FEATHER FALLS CASINO & LODGE
3 Alverda Drive, Oroville, California 95966-9379
This compact is a renewal and update to the original agreement signed in 1999 between the Mooretown Rancheria of Maidu Indians and the State. The Tribe is authorized to operate up to 2,250 slot machines. The current number is 800. The Tribe is also authorized to operate any card games or table games which are legal under California law. The Tribe can also operate off-track horse betting in the casino but not online.
Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians
ROLLING HILLS CASINO RESORT
2655 Everett Freeman Way
Corning, California 96021
This compact is a renewal and update to the original agreement signed in 1999 between the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians and the State. The Tribe is authorized to operate up to 2,000 slot machines. The current number is 840. The Tribe is also authorized to operate off-track horse betting and any card games or table games which are legal under California law.
Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians
RED HAWK CASINO
1 Red Hawk Boulevard, Placerville , CA 95667
This compact is a renewal and update to the original agreement signed on October 8, 1999 between the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians and the State. The Tribe is authorized to operate up to 2,500 slot machines, which is the current number. The Tribe is also authorized to operate any California-approved card games, table games and off=track horserace betting.
Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation
LUCKY 7 CASINO & HOTEL
350 North Indian Road
Smith River, California 95567-9525
This compact is a renewal and update to the original agreement signed in 1999 between the Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation (formerly known as Smith River Rancheria) and the State. The Tribe is authorized to operate up to 2,000 slot machines. The current number is 300. The Tribe is also authorized to operate any card game or table game that is legal in the state. It can also operate off-track horse betting.
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News Headlines Continued
Graton Casino cancels indoor NYE party with 4,000 GuestsDecember 30, 2020 - Graton Resort and Casino north of San Francisco avoided a major health and public relations catastrophe by canceling a huge. indoor New Years Eve party. Over 4,000 guest were expected.... Read moreCalifornia Indian Casinos remain open during COVID-19 stay-at-home order
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October 15, 2020 - Tachi Palace Casino Resort plans to expand its total gaming space by 44,000 square feet, add a new bingo hall/event center, build a new 120-room hotel tower, add a conference center, build a 3-level parking garage and expand... Read moreEagle Mountain Casino relocation final approval approaches deadlineSeptember 12, 2020 - The U.S Department of Interior has a deadline of October 2 to approve the Tule River Tribe's Fee-To-Trust application to relocate the Eagle Mountain Casino near... Read more California Supreme Court gives final approval to build Madera casinoSeptember 5, 2020 - A ten-year-old case was decided by the California Supreme Court last week giving final approval to the North Fork Rancheria Band of Mono Indians to proceed with construct... Read moreEagle Mountain Casino relocation receives final approval from Gov. NewsomAugust 9, 2020 - Gov. Newsom signed a letter Aug. 3 to the U.S. Interior Department allowing the relocation of the Eagle Mountain Casino. The governor also... Read moreIone Band casino receives final state approval, compactAugust 8, 2020 - California Gov. Newsom signed a gaming compact with the Ione Band of Miwok Indians this week giving the tribe its final approval to build a new casino 30 miles southeast of Sacramento... Read more Northern California Casino News Archive ...
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