Online casinos in California: what the law says

No licensed online casino in California

California's regulator lists online casinos as not legal. California's constitution has never authorised sports betting of any kind. Article IV, Section 19 hands out gambling permissions one at a time - a state lottery in subdivision (d), charitable bingo in (c), horse racing in (b), tribal casino compacts in (f) - and sports wagering is simply not on the list, while subdivision (e) says the Legislature "has no power to authorize, and shall prohibit, casinos of the type currently operating in Nevada and New Jersey." Taking or placing a sports bet is a crime under Penal Code 337a, which covers "pool selling or bookmaking, with or without writing, at any time or place" and carries up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine. Voters were given the chance to change this in November 2022 and refused twice: Proposition 26, for in-person tribal sportsbooks, lost 67.0% to 33.0%, and Proposition 27, for online and mobile sports betting, lost 82.3% to 17.7%.

Tribal casinos (66 of them, under compacts with 79 tribes as of the 2022 Legislative Analyst's count), 84 licensed card rooms, the California State Lottery, and pari-mutuel betting on horse racing. Card rooms, tribal gaming and third-party proposition player services are licensed by the California Gambling Control Commission, with the Department of Justice Bureau of Gambling Control handling compliance inspections and approving every card room game before it can be offered. Online casino games are not licensed at all, and since AB 831 took effect (chaptered 11 October 2025) Penal Code 337o makes it "unlawful for any person or entity to operate, conduct, or offer an online sweepstakes game in this state," which shuts the door on sweepstakes-model online casinos.

Sweepstakes casinos are banned in California, so none are listed here. No crypto casino we track accepts US players by its own terms either — 41 of 46 name the United States on their restricted lists.

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