If the gaming industry has to settle for state-by-state legalization, California signifies the Holy Grail of online gambling in the united states. It is by far the most populous country in the union with a $2 trillion economy which would rank number 8 in the world when it had its own nation. International gambling sites have gone out of the way to acquire licenses in countries much smaller than California.
All eyes are on California as countries mull legalizing a variety of forms of online gambling. If California does ever go the way of legalization, it would by default be the standard in which gaming has been quantified in the United States. If the nation does eventually regulate gaming and it’s successful, other nations will certainly follow suit. We might even see something eventually happen at the national level.
Various pieces of legislation have been released, shot down and reintroduced in the past several years. We do not have anything important to report yet, but many observers are cautiously optimistic that California will at some point make a serious move toward legalization. Here’s why:
The country has a pro-gambling civilization The country already has legal casinos and card rooms
It’s home to many Indian tribes who are experienced in gaming California has a spending problem and the potential tax revenues must surely be enticing for state lawmakers
Current Collection of Betting Sites in California
We are going to discuss the different gaming choices in California in greater detail below, however I’d love to begin with a quick list of gambling sites that are available at this time in California. If you came here looking for a place to gamble online, these are the sites which will let you play and bet real money today.
Sports Gambling:
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Fantasy Sports:
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Horse and Greyhound Betting:
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Online Lottery Tickets:
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Games of Skill:
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Daily Offers and Specials
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Sports Betting in California
Lawmakers in California have demonstrated some interest in legalizing sports betting of late. A bill introduced in the 2017/18 session proposed amending existing gaming legislation to allow the California legislature to authorize sports betting contingent upon the Supreme Court overturning the federal sports gambling ban (which it did).
ACA 18 itself did not seek to legalize wagering; it instead offered a constitutional amendment that would enable lawmakers to legalize and regulate sports betting later on. After he introduced the bill, Assemblyman Adam Gray said,”The decision isn’t’if we have sports wagering or never possess sports wagering.’ We do have sports wagering.”
The point he was making is that sports gambling is currently a massive black market in California and across the United States. The American Gaming Association estimates Americans bet at least $154 billion each year on sports with online sportsbooks and local bookies in contrast to the law. The present condition prohibition isn’t functioning, the logic goes, so the smart thing to do is legalize it, regulate it and tax it.
A report from Eilers & Krejcik Gaming published in 2017 believes California is very likely to legalize sports gambling within five years from the date of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn PASPA. California has lots of potential to become a significant sports gambling market, but as you’ll read in another section, competing interests in the country have a tendency to complicate things.
Assemblyman Gray introduced the exact same legislation again in 2018 and 2019 as he continues to push the issue. Getting the tribal bands on board has been exceedingly difficult as they control a $8 billion gaming industry and are highly reluctant to get on board with sports betting at risk of starting their profitable compacts with the state to negotiation once again.
Online Poker in California
The pursuit for online poker in California has been fought in the courtrooms as you read these words. Bills seeking to regulate internet poker have been introduced annually since 2007. None of these bills have made it all the way through the legislative process due to vying factions on all sides of the matter, but each year brings us nearer to finding an arrangement that satisfied all parties that are interested.
In fact, a lot of the problem can be attributed to competing interests in the nation. It seems everyone has an agenda and it isn’t easy to find consensus among the Indian tribes, Cuban operators and existing online brands. One group or another constantly feels left out or targeted by the wording of legislation. And to be fair, that is often a legitimate concern.
To increase the problem, there are still strong lobbying groups that actively combat the legalization of poker or any other form of internet gambling in the US. Casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson has vowed to fight legalization across the country. In California alone, he spent more than $300,000 to lobby against poker.
Not one of those bills introduced during the last decade-plus has made significant progress due to the various competing interests in the nation. The next bill is Only One of many attempts to make something happen in California, but it serves as a Normal example of how complex and difficult it is to make progress in California:
AB 2291: Promising Start but Died in Committee
Assembly Bill 2291 was introduced way back in February 2014 but not made it outside the committee period. It was reintroduced in 2015 and 2016, but was still unable to gain the traction it needed to make it much in the legislative process.
The bill sought to legalize online poker only and issue 10-year licenses to operators. The proposed fee for licensing has been initially set at $5,000,000, with that fee being used to offset future taxes. Lawmakers bumped that fee up several times until the fee hit a high of $12,500,000 without offsetting taxes.
Early versions of AB 2291 contained several clauses which have caused tension between various factions competing for a piece of the poker pie. Most contentious one of them is a”bad actor” clause. AB 2291 initially sought to require prospective licensees to get a minimum of five decades of gaming experience in California. Additionally, it required every facet of an operation, by its workers to its gear to its bank accounts to be kept in state.
In essence, AB 2291 would have averted all current internet poker providers and newer neighborhood casinos in California from competing. The wording of this bill very clearly favored a few established California casino classes at the cost of fair competition.
Another problem with AB 2291 was that it would have banned California from entering agreements with other nations to combine player pools and enhance liquidity. In other words, you’d only see different Californians at the table however many sates legalize poker. To top it off, the bill would require the state to determine of any laws passed at the federal level allowing internet poker.
Some progress has been made in 2016 with a proposed amendment that could significantly alter the bad actor clause. Formerly, the bill would have barred all online poker companies that operated after the passing of the national Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. Such limitations would have banned established brand for example PokerStars from entering the market.
The last amendment proposes to instead move the cut-off date for the bad celebrity clause up towards the end of 2011. In other words, sites like PokerStars that functioned after the UIGEA but subsequently left the marketplace following the Black Friday indictments in 2011. This could stop the most egregious violators from entering the market but manage PokerStars a chance to provide online poker legally in California. You may read more about the suggestion here.
Looking Back at 2018: The Good and Bad
The Bad Lawmakers and tribal groups have been stuck in stalemate for about four years now. It is wonderful to see some progress on this front, but it’s also discouraging to find the stubbornness on the part of varying factions. Poker players will be better served by an open and competitive marketplace and player-sharing agreements with other nations.
Worse than all that, online poker seems to have taken a step back in 2018. For the first time in more than a decade, no invoices trying to legalize online poker were introduced. Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sayer told Online Poker Report he’s giving up on internet poker laws for this season because there’s just no improvement being made in reaching a compromise between the tribes, local card rooms and other interested parties.
The Great There are a number of positive things to say about all this. If poker is indeed legalized in California, the potential participant pool will much bigger than that which we’ve seen in other states that have legalized online poker. Besides the fact that 38 million people call California home, the state has a poker culture already thanks to its numerous brick-and-mortar card rooms.
California is very likely to have fewer problems with geolocation of gamers because of its sheer size. New Jersey had all kinds of problems verifying players were really located within the nation. This ended up with plenty of possible players being barred in the state-sanctioned sites there. California doesn’t have to compete with congested cities piled up on state borders.
Fantasy Sports
Whenever the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) has been passed in 2006, it supplied two noteworthy exceptions to internet gambling: horse racing and fantasy sports. The UIGEA didn’t just exempt these kinds of gambling; it essentially gave operators the go-ahead to offer their games to clients right here in the united states.
Some countries have since passed legislation banning online fantasy sports but California is not among those. If you have a thing for sports gambling but would rather do it at a safe and regulated manner, fantasy sports is your way to go. You draft a staff just like in regular dream leagues except now you get paid actual money if you win.
FanDuel.com and DraftKings.com are the two biggest players in this marketplace. They both accept clients from CA and offer single-day fantasy leagues such as your NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, college basketball and college football.
One of the nice things about online fantasy sports is every competition only lasts for a day per week in the most. You’re not stuck with one group all season. Instead, your team racks up stats over the course of one week. It’s possible to play in heads-up competitions against other gamers or test your ability in enormous tournaments that occasionally give more than a million dollars to the first place winner.
You can read more about fantasy sports gambling here.
Legislative Efforts for Daily Fantasy at California
2016 was a significant year for the daily fantasy sports industry in California. In January of 2016, lawmakers introduced AB 1437 in an attempt to create a regulatory framework for everyday fantasy sports sites. If enacted, the bill would require DFS websites to obtain a permit, enforce a minimum age of 21 for all clients, hold all clients’ funds in a segregated account and offer self-exclusion applications for problem gamblers.
The bill advanced previous three major votes by a total of 101 for and 2 against. This is a significant bill for California and it appears increasingly likely to be passed to legislation. On the other hand, the bill itself will not really legalize online fantasy sports competitions; it only sets the conditions by which the industry would be regulated.
California Attorney General Kamala Harris is expected to issue a ruling on whether fantasy competitions constitute illegal gambling under state law. If she principles favorably, AB 1437 will have everything in place to license and controlled fantasy sites immediately. The AG’s judgment was expected for at least a year now. Meanwhile, California dream sports sites continue to function freely.
As of 2019, advancement on the bill seems to have fully stalled. The fantastic news is fantasy sports websites continue to be active through the state. Legalizing fantasy sports in California would basically be a formality now.
Online Casinos
There are not yet any legal online casinos in California. The nation has not even attempted to pass legislation in this regard so it will likely be years until we see legitimate gambling websites open to CA residents.
Don’t be fooled by the hundreds of other websites which are currently recommending”legal” online casinos. These are actually offshore gaming sites without any legal existence whatsoever in the USA. They are unlicensed and completely unregulated.
Although to be fair, there aren’t any state or national laws which prohibit playing at offshore casinos. Should you decide to play with online, nobody is going to come kick in your front door. The biggest risk is financial — you never know for certain who you are working with on the other side of the display. Some offshore casinos could be safe while others are definitely outright scams. But regardless of where you play, you have no legal recourse if things go belly up.
Your very best option would be to look at any of the other authorized, accredited and safe forms of betting that can be found right now in California. Between horse racing, fantasy sports and most likely online poker quite soon, there are still lots of other ways to play real money games online at protected, licensed sites based in the US.
Horse Betting
Online horse racing is alive and well in California. The horse gambling situation here is not nearly as complex as the poker situation. California does allow residents to play US-licensed horse wagering websites for example TwinSpires, BetAmerica and TVG.
Each of the major US-based horse gambling sites accept clients from California. The country also enables off-track betting (OTB) facilities. OTB facilities operate as brick-and-mortar betting shops where people may walk in, put bets on races and collect their winnings in person.
Five racetracks operate upon the state and they also allow for real money wagering. In total, you are able to bet online at any of the horse betting websites, off-track at an OTB place or in-person at any of the monitors listed below. California is also home to county and state fairs that maintain races in different times every year.
The California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) oversees all horse racing and wagering within the state. The CHRB’s assignment is to ensure the integrity, ethics and safety of the nation’s horse racing industry. They manage wagering, breeding, bodily security as well as the promotion of horse racing.
California Racetracks
CalExpo:
The California Exposition and State Fair operates a year-round harness racetrack that runs daily at approximately 5:20 PM.
1600 Exposition Drive
Sacramento, CA 95815
Site Golden Gate Fields
This track is situated in Berkley with races and simulcast events weekly.
1100 Eastshore Highway
Berkley, CA 94710
Site Santa Anita
Santa Anita is among the most widely recognized racetracks from the USA and home to major events such as the Santa Anita Derby, Santa Anita Handicap and occasionally the Breeder’s Cup.
285 W. Huntington Drive
Arcadia, CA 91007
Website Del Mar
Del Mar started in 1937 with a renowned race between Seabiscuit and Ligaroti. Seabiscuit barely took the race and became a legend of his own. Now, Del Mar plays host to racing festivals, events, family fun days and more.
2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd..
Del Mar, CA 92014
Website Los Alamitos
Los Alamitos Race Course is home to daytime thoroughbred racing and nighttime quarter racing. The trail is home to a number of the largest quarter horse stakes races in the united states.
4961 E. Katella Ave.
Los Alamitos, CA 90720
Site OTB Locations
There are 31 off-track betting facilities in California. OTB centers can be seen in fairgrounds, racetracks, specialty OTB shops, casinos and fairgrounds. You may see a complete list of locations and addresses here.
Internet Bingo
There seems to be no motive to specifically legalize online bingo in California. The only realistic chance I see of online bingo coming to California is whether it gets caught up in some future internet casino legislation.
Lottery Games
Ca lottoThe California state lottery isn’t authorized to sell tickets online or via telephone. For years, the federal Wire Act prohibited states from selling lottery tickets on the internet. This may not be the case forever. In 2009, New York and Illinois asked the Department of Justice to explain its stance on the Wire Act and clarify exactly which forms of online gambling were illegal.
The DOJ reacted in 2011 with a decision that had far-reaching consequences beyond just the lottery. In September of 2011, the DOJ issued an announcement that its official interpretation of the Wire Act only applies to sports gambling over the net. This gave countries the go-ahead to sell tickets on the internet if they select.
Lottery Subscription Sites California has not yet joined the growing list of countries that sell lottery tickets on the web. But, there are a range of messenger services that will go buy lottery tickets at face value for a monthly subscription fee. You can log in to all those sites, pay attention for your tickets and the corporation is going to go and buy tickets in your title.
By way of instance, LottoGopher.com is a California-based membership site that offers this specific service. The site is registered in California, its owners are background-checked by lottery commission officials also it abides by all federal and state laws. They are not legally permitted to sell lotto tickets for more than face value, so that they rather charge users a subscription fee.
A membership at LottoGopher lets you purchase tickets online, pick specific numbers as well as form lottery pools along with other members. Should you win less than $600, Lotto Gopher will charge the winnings into your account that you can then draw right to the bank. Should you win more than $600, Lotto Gopher will maintain the prize on your behalf in person and then send you a check for the complete amount.
The website doesn’t take a cut of your winnings. They only way they make money is by charging clients a flat subscription fee. At this time, LottoGopher is only available in California. You can learn more and give it a try here:
www.lottogopher.com
lotto gopher
Is Lotto Gopher untrue?
Yes. They’re located in California and say lottery officials know they are. It’s great that you ask though because there are tons of online lotto sites which look and feel legit but are not. Lotto Gopher really is legal and 100% untrue.
They have been all over the media in the past few decades too. Forbes and ABC have written articles regarding the support.
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