California Legal Online Gambling For 2024

The legal gambling age in California varies depending on the type of gambling in question.

Playing the lottery, participating in pari-mutuel horse racing betting at tracks and OTBs, playing bingo or any type of charitable gambling, and gambling at Class II tribal casinos that do not serve alcohol carry a strict minimum legal age of eighteen years old.

To enter a Class III casino or California card room where alcohol is served, the required minimum age becomes 21.

If you would like to review the various California state gambling laws, you can visit the Official California Legislative Information Website.

Horse racing is a legally sanctioned form of gambling entertainment in California.

State-licensed racetracks offer betting options in person and online, as well as at OTBs (off-track betting outlets) scattered throughout the state.

In addition, there are not any state or federal laws that prohibit Californians from participating in betting on horses online through legally licensed and regulated offshore racebooks.

California lottery tickets are only sold at physical retail locations. Therefore, you are not able to buy tickets directly from the California Lottery website.

However, there are legally licensed offshore lottery agents who facilitate online lottery ticket purchases for residents of the United States, including those living in California. These agents allow players to participate in lottery games from around the world, including those games conducted overseas.

The state of California requires residents to report all income and revenue earned, including revenue acquired from gambling winnings. California is a tax-heavy state in general, so we are not surprised that they do not cut gamblers any slack when it comes to income reporting.

Remember, CA has a state income tax in addition to the standard federal income tax, and both require that you report your gambling winnings as income.

If you feel that you may not be required to report gambling income for some reason, we recommend that you consult with an official tax attorney that is familiar with the specific laws in California.

California has been discussing online gambling possibilities for several years and has seen a substantial amount of legislation come and go. It has not been until recently that any real progress has been made with any of the bills that have been introduced.

With heavy involvement in the gambling industry by influential Indian tribes, California faces some challenges that other states don’t have to deal with. At this moment in time, we cannot accurately predict when CA will adopt state-regulated online gambling. All signs currently point to iGaming being a long way off in the state, while sports betting might fare better in the short term.

However, that's all functionally irrelevant, because you can already safely and legally play real-money casino games, real-money online poker, and bet on sports and horses by using any of the legitimate offshore betting sites recommended here.

The Bureau of Gambling Control operates under the State of California Department of Justice. Their mission is to ensure the integrity of the gambling industry in California.

To do this, they are responsible for overseeing the industry’s activities to ensure that gambling entertainment is conducted honestly and is free of criminal influence. They work cooperatively with the California Gambling Control Commission to regulate the gambling industry in California.

The state has considered sports gambling legalization as recently as early 2020, but this initiative died due to tribal opposition.

For CA to allow sports betting would mean that the state constitution would require an amendment.

At this moment in time, tribes hold a great amount of influence over the proceedings of legal sports betting. Therefore, all bills presented must pass approval by the tribes before they can proceed through the legislative process and end up on the general election ballot.

The earliest that CA could legalize sports betting domestically within state borders is November 2022. Fortunately, you don't have to wait even a single day to place legal sports bets, so long as you use a reputable online operator like those listed on this page.