California Online Casino View Top California Picks Californians have a number of options for gambling at casinos and for playing online, whether it’s betting on sports, slots or poker. Between the various card rooms and tribal casinos, racetracks, and the lottery, California offers one of the richest arrays of regulated gambling choices of.
Many of the best online poker websites have launched a dedicated real money poker app that you can easily download and install on your device. The best poker apps are available for both iOS and Android operating systems. In order to find the best poker. Online poker California websites might be registered abroad and it will be hard, even close to impossible, to claim rights for prize. Check for trustworthiness of sources that offer you a great deal, and be. Nevada was the first US state to legalize and regulate online poker. It all started with regulations drafted by the Nevada Gaming Commission on Dec. An opinion letter written by the Department of Justice became public the following day stating that online poker did not violate the Wire Act.
With a population of nearly 40 million, the largest in the United States,
it’s no surprise that California has a massive gambling fanbase. Land-based
gaming laws here are a little stricter than states such as Nevada, yet
California’s online gambling market continues to grow. Today, our team of
experts is looking at some of the very best California casino sites currently
operating.
It shouldn’t come as a major surprise to find that some of the best online
casinos in the world are available here. To make things a little easier for new
players, we’re listing five of our favorite casino sites in California directly
below!
| Rank | Gambling Site | Deposit Bonus | Get Started | |
| #1 | 280% Up To $14,000 | Visit Site | ||
| #2 | BetUS Casino | 150% Up To $3,000 | Visit Site | |
| #3 | 300% Up To $6,000 | Visit Site | ||
| #4 | Wild Casino | 250% Up To $5,000 | Visit Site | |
| #5 | 100% Up To $11,000 | Visit Site | ||
We’re going to be breaking down some of the most important features that
California online casinos should always provide. Finally, we’ll be going over the
current laws and restrictions over internet casino gambling in this state.
There’s a lot of information to unpack!
California Casino Sites: What Should I Be Looking For?
With so many amazing options to choose from, it can be a little difficult
finding where to play casino games in California. Allow us to help you out! Our
analysts have looked through hundreds of different sites over the years.
We have come up with a unique system to determine whether a CA casino site is
worth playing at or not. There are a few simple things that every online casino
should provide. Below are the four most important features that all casino sites
in California should offer.
Safe and Simple Payment System
There’s nothing more important than safety when betting online. The first and
most important feature you should always look into is the website’s cashier
system. If the online casino you’re looking at doesn’t provide you with a
range of quick and secure payment options, we don’t recommend signing up.
Finding information on different websites’ payment options should be easy.
One quick way is to head over to our list of
online casino reviews. In
each of these reviews, we dive deep into the different payment options of every
website.
Another easy option is to simply check out these websites for yourself! At
the top of this page are the top-five California casino sites that we recommend.
You can head over to these sites today and look at their cashier systems
straight from the source. All reputable California online casinos will clearly list the
accepted payment methods.
We recommend playing at sites that allow deposits to be made using both debit
and credit cards. Withdrawal options differ from site to site. The majority of
California casinos online only allow payouts to be made using Bitcoin.
Fortunately, this is one of the best withdrawal methods available today.
Don’t be worried if you aren’t familiar with how Bitcoin works. Many CA
casino sites will easily walk you through each payout. Some sites such as
Bovada even provide
entire pages that explain how you can use Bitcoin to collect your winnings.
Spend some time looking at a few different sites’ payment options and choose one
that’s safe and easy.
Great Functionality and Design
The design and functionality of the CA casino website you choose to play at
will affect your entire gambling experience. A site could provide hundreds of
games with an amazing cashier system, yet if it crashes or makes if difficult to
actually place bets, it’s probably not worth playing at. For this reason, it’s
important to always look for great overall functionality and design.
This is another easy thing to look into. All legit US casino sites in
California will allow you to scroll through them before you’ve decided to sign
up. You can check out the various aspects of these sites to decide if it offers
a design you enjoy. Some sites even allow you to place some sample bets!
Everyone has a different design preference. Perhaps you’ll want to play at a
website that features hundreds of games and different bonus offers directly on
the homepage. It’s also possible that you prefer simple websites that make it
extremely easy to find the games you want to play.
The most important thing when you playat California online casinos is to find a design that fits your needs. There are
many different online casinos in CA right now, and you’re sure to find one that
offers the functionality you’re looking for. Check out the sites that we’re
recommending at the top of this page!
Casino Games That You Want to Play
This may seem completely obvious. Unfortunately, many players new to online
casino gaming sign up to a website, only to find that it doesn’t actually offer
the games they want to play! Don’t let this happen to you!
Always check through a few different California casino sites and look at
which games are provided. Do you love slots? Find a website offering hundreds of
slot games from the top software providers. Are you a blackjack fan? Make sure
to sign up to a website providing a wide range of different table gaming
options.
It’s also a good idea to see if any unique gaming features are provided. Some
sites, including the ones we recommend, offer fun features such as live dealer
games. These games make it feel as if you’re actually playing games inside a
land-based casino.
It’s incredible how many casino games are available online. Different sites
often provide their members with different gaming options. Spend some time
finding a website that offers the games you want to play.
Helpful Customer Support System
The last feature you will want to find in California online casinos is a
helpful customer support system. If you have any questions during your gambling
experience, it’s important to know that the site you play through will help you
out. More often than not, the better a website’s customer service, the better
the entire site actually is.
Good websites will usually provide a live chat feature. This form of customer
support allows you to speak with a website representative instantly over chat.
It’s a very useful tool to have your questions answered.
Other California online casinos will let you speak with employees over the phone.
This is another great customer service feature you should look for. Don’t settle
with a site that only allows email support. This can often take weeks to answer
any questions you need answers for.
There’s a very good chance you will never even have to utilize these site’s
customer support systems. If, however, you have any issues that come up with
making bets or collecting payments, it’s important to know you have a site that
will help you. Never disregard the importance of customer service!
California Online Casinos Are Growing in Popularity
Many people in California are realizing how great online casino gambling can
really be. There was a time when only a few casino sites operated in this state.
Today, players here have access to some of the best gaming companies in the
world.
We’ve asked many Californians why they choose to gamble online, rather than
inside of a local casino. There are two factors that continue to pop up. Below
are the two most common reasons that are contributing to the rise in California
casino sites right now.
Convenience of Making Bets From Home
California is a big state. There are over 160 land-based tribal casinos
operating here, many of which provide players with a wide range of different
gambling options. Even with the many brick-and-mortar gaming options, many
people here prefer the ability to simply make bets from home.
California online casinos allow you to make bets from anywhere with an
internet connection. Many of these online casinos even let you play on-the-go
using a smartphone! There’s nothing better than playing your favorite games,
anytime you want.
California casino sites are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You
will never have to worry about whether or not the games you want to play are
available. If you enjoy placing bets on your own time without the need to drive
miles to a casino, online gaming is probably for you.
Best Online Poker California
Wide Range of Different Gaming Options
Another reason why so many people love casino websites is the massive amount
of different games offered every single day. The top CA casino sites provide
literally thousands of different gaming options to members. You can find just
about every slot and table game through these websites.
Generally speaking, California casinos online will always offer more games than even the
biggest land-based casinos. As we just mentioned, these games are available
24/7. You’ll never have to worry about making the trip to a casino, only to find
that the game you wanted to play is not available.
Some casino sites in California will focus more on certain games than others.
One website may provide hundreds of different slots, while others focus
primarily on their table gaming options. Check out a few different websites to
see just how many different games are available online right now.
Is Online Casino Gambling in California Actually Allowed?
California is well-known for its liberal laws. Strangely, officials here have
been somewhat reluctant to begin opening up the online gambling industry. At the
moment, only tribal casinos are legal throughout the state.
Lawmakers in California passed Proposition 1A in the year 2000. This allowed
tribal casinos to offer traditional casino games such as slots and blackjack. In
2014, bills AB 2991 and SB 1366 were presented. If passed, these will allow for
the regulation of online poker throughout the state.
There have been no steps taken to begin regulating the online casino industry
in California. Fortunately, there are no laws that specifically prohibit
individuals from playing through California casino sites. The legality may lie
in somewhat of a gray area, yet most agree this market is completely open.
It’s extremely unlikely. As we just mentioned, there is nothing in
the state’s criminal code that specifically bans playing California online casinos.
We have not come across a single case of any individuals facing legal trouble
for playing casino games online here.
How Do I Stay Safe Playing Online Casino Games in CA?
Online casino gambling in the US is generally very safe. Word spreads quickly
in the internet gaming industry, and any websites caught withholding payment
from members or charging unusual fees will be called out. For that reason,
casino sites in California work hard to always provide their members with
safety.
Oftentimes, the best way to stay safe online is by monitoring your own
gambling activities. Our experts are listing five of the best tips that will
help to keep you perfectly safe while playing internet casino games in
California.
Play Through Reputable Websites
The easiest way to protect yourself is to only play through
legit US casino websites
that have solid reputations. And all the safe California casino sites will take
steps to protect your gambling experience. Head back up to the top of this page
to see the California online casinos that we highly recommend.
Track How Much You Are Gambling
One of the best things about casino sites in California is that they are just
so fun! Unfortunately, this can lead to some gamblers betting more than they
should. To make sure this doesn’t happen to you, always keep track of how much
money you are actually wagering.
Only Bet on Games That You Understand
Many players who are new to online casino gaming will jump right into games
before they even know the rules. We don’t recommend this. It’s always a good
idea to only play games that you understand. It will significantly lower your
chances of losing.
Read the Details of Every Promotion Before You Use Them
Promotions, in case you are unaware, are simply bonus offers that different
casino sites in California will offer to their members. These can be a fantastic
way to boost the amount of money into your betting account. Occasionally, they
can also make it difficult to actually withdraw your winnings. Make sure that
you read the terms and conditions of every promotion before you decide to
utilize them.
Always Be Willing to Reach out to Customer Service
A good customer support system is hugely important when you play online casinos games in California. We
highly recommend reaching out to customer service representatives if you ever
need to. It’s the easiest way to always have your questions answered.
California Online Casinos FAQ
What Are the Most Important Features of California Casino Sites?
Casino sites are better now than ever before. When it comes to where to play casino games in California, we highly recommend making sure
that any website you plan to join provides safe payment options, a great design,
the games that you want to play, and a helpful customer support system.
Are Casino Sites in California More Popular Than Land-Based Casinos?
The popularity of California online casinos is growing rapidly. California
has a particularly large online casino fanbase. Most people state that the
convenience of betting from home and the wide range of different betting odds
are what push them to gamble online.
Do Casino Sites in CA Offer Online Poker Games?
For the most part, yes. Many online casino companies recognize that poker is
extremely popular throughout the state. These California casino sites will often
provide different poker gaming options to their members.
Certain lawmakers in California are pushing to regulate the online poker
industry. Until this happens, poker fans will need to play through the various
casino sites currently available. Many of these websites put on major poker
tournaments offering huge payouts.
How Can I Stay Safe Playing Online Casino Games Here?
Casino sites in CA are safer now than ever before. The best ways to protect
yourself while casino gaming is to only play through reputable sites, track how
much you’re betting, bet on games that you understand, read the details of every
promotion offer, and always reach out to customer support if you need it.
Conclusion
California has one of the biggest gambling markets in the world. Strangely,
lawmakers here have not taken any steps to begin regulating this industry. Laws
surrounding online gambling are always changing.
To stay up-to-date on internet gambling laws in California, make sure to
follow our industry news page. Don’t forget to check out the top California casino sites that we’ve recommending at the top of this page. Good
luck making your bets.
Are you looking for the best US legal online poker sites or a real money poker app? If the answer is yes, then you came to the right place. This is one of our many online poker reviews where you can find more about the best online poker options.
Without further ado, keep reading to discover how to play the best online poker for money and how to form an online poker strategy. So, let’s get started!
Contents
Best Legal Online Poker Sites
- WSOP
- PartyPoker
- PokerStars
- Pala Poker
- 888poker
- Global Poker
Is online poker legal? It's not always the same as legal online casinos and legal online sportsbooks. All new players who decide to explore the vast universe of real money poker sites should know that federally, online poker sites are illegal. However, on the individual level, online poker is legal in some of the states.
Some websites such as Global Poker (which is a sweepstakes poker site) are allowed in 49 out of 50 US states. Only Washington does not allow it. At the moment of writing our online poker reviews, only four states offer legal online poker websites in the United States. These are the following: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware.
For more information about some of the available sites, make sure to consult our Global Poker review.
US Legal Online Poker: State by State
Is online poker legal in your state? If the answer is no, keep in mind that the situation can change pretty quickly. Unsurprisingly, Nevada was the leader of regulated online poker. Once the ice was broken, the domino-effect followed.
One by one, many states tried or are still trying to pass the legislation. As you can see, some of them even succeeded. The last one to recently pass online poker is West Virginia, and we expect more legal US poker sites to be launched in the future.
When it comes to future predictions, we believe that chances are pretty good for some of the states to overcome all the legal obstacles and finally launch real money poker sites so their residents become able to play legal online poker.
Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, New York are some of the states that’ll probably make some innovations when it comes to the possibilities of playing poker online. These are the states that have active supporters of online poker in the state senate.
What’s more, regulated real money poker sites in neighboring states can only have a positive effect on public opinion. Additionally, within the borders of the aforementioned states, you can find a considerable number of land-based casinos.
Many of them come with the best online poker rooms where you can play various variants of poker, including the most popular one - Texas Hold’em. In other words, these poker offline options make it easier to launch legal poker sites and eventually start to offer legal online poker.
States Where Legal Online Poker Seems Like a Distant Dream
From this point of view, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah are just some of the states where we can see a certain legislative hostility towards online gambling. Therefore, we don’t believe that we won’t be able to play Texas Hold’em online there for quite some time.
Sweepstakes Legal Online Poker - Play Poker Free No Matter Which State You’re In
As said before, Global Poker, a sweepstakes legal online poker site, can be accessed in all US states except for the state of Washington. This legal online poker platform was launched in 2106, and since then, many players use its services. The virtual currency gaming business model is what makes it unique.
Instead of playing for real money, players play poker free, using gold coins or sweeps cash. That’s why Global Poker often appears when players search for “play poker free” or “play poker online, free”.
To understand how sweepstakes poker works, let’s start with some poker basics and make sure to understand sweeps poker terminology clearly. There’s a difference between gold coins and sweeps cash, and there’s a reason for which “play poker online, free” is actually a bit of a misnomer here.
Gold Coins are the name for the virtual currency in Global Poker, and they are equivalent to what regular legal online poker sites usually call “play money”. In other words, you can’t cash them out, but you can use them to play Texas Hold’em online or participate in some of the available tournaments with other players. On the other hand, “$weeps cash” is a promotional, virtual currency that can be cashed out through PayPal.
To sum up, you can buy gold coins that don’t have any monetary value and can’t be cashed out. “$weeps cash” is obtained as free of charge once you buy Gold Coins. Because of this virtual currency online poker model, Global Poker is not quite considered an online gambling activity. Therefore, it’s allowed in almost all of the US.
Where Can I Play Legal Online Poker in the US?
Pennsylvania is the last state where online poker had become legal when PokerStars was launched there at the end of 2019. Right now that’s also the only available option to play online poker for money in Pennsylvania.
If we don’t count Global Poker, which can be accessed in 49 states, all the other legal online poker sites come with pretty restricted access. For example, Pala Poker and PartyPoker are only available in the state of New Jersey.
However, they are not the only NJ poker sites one can access. WSOP, America's top legal online poker site, is available in the Garden State, and it’s also accessible to all Nevada online poker fans as well. Likewise, PokerStars NJ, available both independently and within the FOX Bet app
Claim the WSOP promo code in New Jersey and Nevada to get a $1,000 signup bonus!Where Can I Play Poker Live?
Most of the land-based casinos across different states include special poker rooms where you can play live poker. Playing Texas Hold’em online is definitely the most popular option. After all, poker is an American thing, so it’s no wonder to see it available in the vast majority of mortar and bricks casinos.
In fact, instead of listing all the states where you can sit back, relax and try out your luck with live poker, it’s better to list all those where you can’t play poker online. It’ll be easier to remember this list:
- Alaska
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- New Hampshire
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
We must add that in Texas, private poker clubs aren’t forbidden. As long as no house makes a profit from the game, poker can be played in private places for fun.
US Online Poker Basics
When talking about the current status of legal US poker sites, there are two especially important laws that you should be aware of. Let’s take a look at these two federal laws that govern online poker in the country.
The Wire Act
The first one is the Interstate Wire Act of 1961, often called the Federal Wire Act. As you can see, it passed long before online poker or even the internet existed. However, it prohibits certain types of betting businesses to operate via wired communications.
Internet Poker California
In 2011, the US Department of Justice concluded that the scope of the act was limited to sporting events. Therefore, states, where online poker is now regulated, found that the bill didn’t apply to online poker nor other forms of gambling.
However, in 2019, the US Department of Justice reversed its opinion. The new opinion concludes that the Wire Act applies to all types of online gambling.
The UIGEA
The other relevant law is the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) from 2006. This law made it illegal for US banks to proceed with transactions for offshore gambling companies. That’s how they were pushed out of the market.
History of US Legal Online Poker
Online casinos started to appear back in 1994. They were usually situated in Antigua or the Isle of Man. However, the vast majority of their users were US-based customers. Two years later, in 1996, online gambling was also brought to the North American market soil.
The Kahnawake Gaming Commission was established just outside Montreal. They started issuing licenses, and pretty soon, it was possible to find hundreds of new online gambling websites.
Once again, two years later and again in Canada, the first-ever poker online website saw the light of day. Planet Poker was the favorite source of fun to thousands of Americans who were spending endless hours playing the first real-money online Texas Hold’em.
Over the next few years, thanks to technological advances, better online poker software was developed, while the number of websites kept increasing. These online poker operators also started to offer various tournaments and cash games and got a solid fan base all over the world.
The Industry Kept Growing & Then It Collapsed
Even though there were different interpretations of the law, especially of the famous Wire Act, the newly developed industry kept growing.
The year 2003 is especially important in the evolution of online poker. Using an account from Tennessee, Chris Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker after participating in the event through an online satellite. In Chris Moneymaker's case, we guess, it's okay to say that name determines destiny.
This online poker strategy was live-streamed on ESPN. Suddenly, the whole nation knew about Chris's story. A good number of Americans were hoping to be the next. All of a sudden, poker was everywhere on TV. Live games were followed carefully, and commercial breaks had one purpose: promoting online poker for money and playing Texas Hold 'em online.
The great number of promoted sites were, in fact, offshore online poker sites. A lot of them disappeared from American browsers after Congress passed the above-mentioned UIGEA in 2006.
However, even though a lot of sites weren't accessible anymore, online poker couldn't be erased that easily. Some of the offshore gambling companies had found a way around the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, but not for long.
In 2011, some of the largest online poker operators, including PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker/Ultimate Bet, were accused of violating UIGEA and money laundering. These websites were definitely excluded from the significant US online poker market, which seemed to come to an end at the time.
Legal Online Poker Sites Rise Again
Also in 2011, the DOJ released a legal opinion that the Federal Wire act exclusively applied only to one form of gambling: sports betting. A few states saw this as a possibility, paving the way to regulated online casinos and legal US poker sites.
In 2012, Delaware was the first state that managed to do just that. Then, in December 2013, Nevada followed the example of passing online poker legislation. A week later, the Garden State became the third to legalize online gambling, and plans for NJ poker sites were made.
The first-ever regulated US online poker site was launched in Nevada in April 2013. Delaware and NJ poker sites went live that same year, a few months later. In 2017, Pennsylvania became the fourth state to join this group. West Virginia is the fifth state where online poker was regulated in 2019. Probably, more states will try to do the same thing in the near future.
Which State is Next?
Is online poker legal in California or New York? This is one of the frequently asked questions that people search for in the USA. They also search for different terms of poker terminology that sound unfamiliar to them. However, that’s another question that we could discuss on some other occasion.
Let’s get back to our question of legal online poker sites and the possible new markets in the USA. Michigan has made significant efforts to legalize online gambling, particularly online poker, while California, New York, and Massachusetts also seem to be moving in the right direction.
Real Money Poker App: How to Find the Best Poker App
It doesn’t matter if you are a Pennsylvania online poker fan or a regular visitor of NJ poker sites, the good news is that you can play poker whenever you want, anywhere within the borders of one or the other state.
Many of the best online poker websites have launched a dedicated real money poker app that you can easily download and install on your device. The best poker apps are available for both iOS and Android operating systems.
How To Play Online Poker In California
In order to find the best poker app, make sure you visit one of the websites we listed at the beginning of our review.
Best Online Poker California Reddit
Also, before you replace your poker offline adventure with the one that can be found on the internet, make sure to read some of the online poker reviews and get to know the poker terminology used by the players worldwide. After a brief introduction to the poker basics, it’s time to create your own online poker strategy and join one of the legal online poker communities!