Online Poker California
Online poker California is not legal, however, there are options. The state has earned that reputation thanks largely to the card clubs that host high-stakes cash and tournament action year-round. When considering online poker and gambling in general, players are likely to have a number of questions and concerns.
That’s why we’ve assembled this guide to the best sites to play online poker for real money in California. This encompasses legal issues, history, the very latest regarding poker news from the Golden State and which sites accept CA players.
California usually makes gambling headlines due to new delays or disagreements in its efforts to legalize online poker. The state has been going back and forth on the issue for approximately ten years now. Notably, recent attempts to rally support for a revised approach also fell flat.
Although there has been progress in recent years to appease the opposition of the horse racing industry, the bad actor clause remains an uncompromised sticking point. However, you can play poker for real money at regulated off-shore poker rooms.
Top Sites for Online Poker in California
Is Gambling Legal in California?
Type/Code | Summary |
---|---|
State Code Section(s) | PEN.1.9.10330-337; BPC.4-5 |
Definition of Gambling | Gambling: To deal, operate, carry on, conduct, maintain, or expose for play any controlled game. |
Definition of Banking Game or Banked Game | Banking game or banked game: Does not include a controlled game if the published rules of the game feature a player-dealer position and provide that this position must be continuously and systematically rotated amongst each of the participants during the play of the game, ensure that the player-dealer is able to win or lose only a fixed and limited wager during the play of the game, and preclude the house, another entity, a player, or an observer from maintaining or operating as a bank during the course of the game. |
Online Poker/Gambling | For 10 years (2006-2016), lawmakers considered variations of online poker legislation but failed to pass one through both houses. Some special interests were placated through the years, but the tribes and card rooms could not find agreement on “bad actor” language. Lawmakers finally gave up after finding no compromises in 2016 and have yet to revisit the issue. |
Live Poker | Live cash games and tournaments are permitted in more than 100 licensed card rooms throughout the state and casinos on Indian reservations. There are special rules pertaining to draw poker, which must be approved by voters in counties with large populations. |
Casinos | In addition to card rooms that offer non-house-banked games like poker and California blackjack, casinos are located throughout the state on various Indian reservations. Most of those casinos are complete with table games, slot machines, and other games like keno and bingo. |
Sports Betting | A bill introduced in 2017 to legalize sports betting was still in action in 2018 but had yet to pass as of the summer session. |
DFS | California considered daily fantasy sports in 2016, but no bill passed, and there have been no proposals since. |
Other Forms of Gambling | Lottery, pari-mutuel horse wagering, charitable gambling. |
Recent California Headlines for 2024
Unfortunately, California has not managed to pass any state-wide regulation of poker online or any form of online gambling. Every time a bill comes up for negotiation, it appears that established powers engage in conflict and successfully defeat it. Whether it’s politicians seeking more kickbacks or Native American tribes vying for carve-outs, there’s discord. Special interest lobbying by poker sites also seeks “bad actor” clauses to deter competition, further eroding consensus.
Fortunately, however, California online poker is not illegal. Neither Federal law nor California state law prohibit citizens from partaking in real money online poker games.
Initially, legislation proposed by California Senator Lou Correa – SB 678 – the Authorization and Regulation of Internet Poker and Consumer Protection Act of 2013 – had the backing of some tribes, including the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. Most notably, only taxed and regulated online poker California sites were to be allowed under the new legislation. Classic table games, like roulette, outlawed.
Despite numerous amendments to the bill, as of now, nothing has been signed into the statute books but SB 678 – and its almost identical partner, SB 1366 – remains a definite possibility to be implemented in the next year. Currently, government-regulated legal poker sites are not available in California. However, this situation might change in the near future.
Whether the tribal casinos come to an agreement or not, the future of legal online poker for California players may lie in a proposed bill outlawing the game across the entire United States.
The Restoration of the America’s Wire Act would reverse a 2011 decision by the Department of Justice not to include poker in any online federal ban. Worryingly for California pro-poker activists, the Senate Bill is supported by the US Senator from that state, Dianne Feinstein.
California Sports Betting Laws 2024
Frustrated lawmakers, frustrated tribal leaders, and scrutinized card rooms may find it difficult to come together on sports betting, online poker, or any other gambling-related matter in 2024.
Online Poker California Legislation
The path to legalized online poker in California has been full of disappointments. Assemblyman Mike Gatto once claimed that California’s legislature has seen two to six online gambling bills every year since 2008, with none of them being remotely successful. After making significant progress in 2016, which ultimately led to another failure, and after a decade of attempts to legalize and regulate real-money online poker in California, the issue was indefinitely halted in 2017. This was due to a stalemate that left many lawmakers and stakeholders frustrated, causing them to abandon the discussions.
The Basics of Playing Online Poker in California
You don’t need to know much about California to know that poker is massively popular in the state. Whether it’s the constant action at the state’s card rooms, the regular presence of California-based players on poker’s world stage, or the steady stream of online poker news coming from the state, everything points to one conclusion: Californians are playing Internet poker in numbers that far outstrip any other state in the US (and probably quite a few countries as well).
Like most, poker players want to know that they’re playing at a reputable site which will offer a fair game. We recommend exclusively licensed and regulated sites in their respective jurisdictions, ensuring Californians play solely on legal online poker platforms. Find the best online poker sites for your state.
Choosing the Right Poker Site
It’s not difficult to locate an online poker room that caters to Californian players as there are plenty! However, not all of them cater to the market on a good and safe enough level. That’s why we have gone through the full range of them and singled out the platforms that provide gamers within California with a great, safe experience.
Selecting a good online California poker room isn’t something that should just be done with little thought and consideration. After all, these are the sites that you will be depositing your money and personal information into. Online gambling shouldn’t be taken lightly by anyone. Find a site that you feel comfortable with.
All Poker and Gambling Laws by State
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
California in the News
California Lawmakers Mull Cardroom Expansion
In the poker world, California is known for two things. One is the plethora of cardrooms for poker players throughout
California Cardroom Licenses Open for Applications Again
California has unique gambling laws. The only full-fledged casinos in the state are a part of a tribal compact for
GOP Says No to California Sports Betting Propositions
California may be the Golden State, but it is not golden for people who want to play poker online or
FAQs
Players looking to play in online poker rooms in California must be 18 or older.
California doesn’t have a regulated online poker scene and that the best options are offshore international poker platforms, players don’t necessarily have to be within state borders. However, if California legalizes online poker and regulates the market, they’ll need to be in the state.
It’s said that this is because there could potentially be issues with PokerStars and racetracks.
Since you’ll be playing in offshore online poker sites, you need to be 18 or older.
No – online poker rooms provide software free without the need to invest in purchasing the software.
Helpful Gambling Resources & Links
- The State Bar of California
- California’s online poker problem – Los Angeles Times
- California Penal Code: Section 330
- State of California Office of Problem Gambling
- California Council on Problem Gambling
- National Council on Problem Gambling (California)
- Official State Website
- Laws/Code of California
- California Legal Guide
- California Gambling Control Commission
- California Bureau of Gambling Control
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