Gambling in California
| California law |
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| Constitution |
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| Note: There are 29 California codes. |
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Legal forms of gambling in the U.S. state of California include cardrooms, Indian casinos, the California State Lottery, parimutuel wagering on horse racing, and charitable gaming. Commercial casino-style gaming is prohibited.
Daily Fantasy Sports
[edit]Unregulated, daily fantasy sports is active in California, though the end of 2023 brought much attention to this by State Senator Scott Wilk. He wrote a letter to California Attorney General Rob Bonta asking him to focus on whether gambling laws prohibit paid DFS contests. With other states claiming paid daily fantasy contests should require a sports betting license, the status of DFS in California is up in the air.[1]
Cardrooms
[edit]Licensed cardrooms may offer approved card games in which players vie against each other (rather than against the house), such as poker.[2] As of 2019, there were 66 cardrooms operating in the state (and another 21 licensed but not operating).[3] Since 1995, there has been a moratorium on new cardrooms.[4][5] The industry generated $850 million in revenue after payouts in 2018.[4]
Non-banked card games such as poker have always been legal in the state.[6] The California Penal Code, enacted in 1872, prohibited several casino games by name, as well as all house-banked games, but did not outlaw poker.[7] Cardrooms also operate non-banked versions of card games such as pai gow poker and baccarat, where players can take turns playing the dealer hand against the other players.[8] However, in these cardrooms, an independent operator known in state law as a "third party provider of proposition services" usually acts as the "house" and the casino earns revenue on a fee charged to the proposition service provider and fees charged to players to play a hand.[9][10][11] Statewide cardroom regulations were enacted in 1984.[12] In 1997, the Gambling Control Act was adopted, which created the California Gambling Control Commission to regulate California cardrooms.[12]
Charitable gaming
[edit]Eligible nonprofit organizations may operate bingo games,[13] raffles,[14] and poker nights.[15] Organizations are limited to one poker night per year.[15]
State voters in 1976 approved a constitutional amendment allowing counties and cities to legalize charitable bingo.[16][17] An amendment to allow charitable raffles passed in 2000, and enabling legislation went into effect in 2001.[18][19] Legislation allowing poker night fundraisers took effect in 2007.[20][21]
Parimutuel wagering
[edit]Parimutuel wagering on horse racing is permitted at racetracks and satellite wagering facilities, and online through advance-deposit wagering providers.[22][23] Extended racing meets are held throughout the year at five tracks: Cal Expo, Del Mar, Golden Gate Fields, Los Alamitos, and Santa Anita.[24] Four other fairgrounds tracks hold brief meets in the summer and early fall.[24] There are 27 satellite wagering facilities throughout the state, most of them found at county fairgrounds, cardrooms, and tribal casinos.[25] Racing and wagering is regulated by the California Horse Racing Board.[26] As of 2018, the annual amount wagered on California races was $3.2 billion, with $662 million retained after payouts.[27]
Horse race wagering was legalized by voter referendum in 1933.[28] Satellite wagering was first legalized at fairgrounds in 1985,[29] and was expanded to private facilities in 2008.[30] Advance-deposit wagering became legal in 2002.[31]
Indian gaming
[edit]Federally recognized tribes can operate casinos under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. As of 2019, there were 63 casinos operated by 61 different tribes.[32] The industry generates approximately $8 billion in annual revenue after payouts.[4] Pursuant to tribal-state compacts negotiated with the state, tribes with larger casinos share a portion of their revenues with non-gaming or limited gaming tribes (those with fewer than 350 slot machines).[33]
Lottery
[edit]The California State Lottery offers scratchcards and draw games, including the multi-state Powerball and Mega Millions games.[34]
The Lottery was approved by voter referendum in 1984 and sold its first tickets in 1985.[35]
See also
[edit]- California Bureau of Gambling Control
- California Gambling Control Commission
- List of casinos in California
References
[edit]- ^ Crown, Brett (2023-11-28). "California DFS Legality Under Review By Attorney General". LegalSportsBetting.com. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
- ^ Charlene Wear Simmons (May 2006). Gambling in the Golden State 1998 Forward (PDF) (Report). California State Library. p. 107. Retrieved 2016-07-21.
- ^ "Active Gambling Establishments in California". California Gambling Control Commission. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
- ^ a b c "Overview of Gambling in California" (PDF). Legislative Analyst's Office. February 2019. Retrieved 2019-02-28.
- ^ SB 654: Local moratorium: Gambling tables (PDF) (Report). Assembly Committee on Governmental Organization. June 21, 2017. p. 2. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
- ^ Analysis of AB 317 (Report). Office of Senate Floor Analyses. 1999. Retrieved 2016-07-28.
- ^ Tibbetts v. Van de Kamp, 222 Cal. App. 3d 392, 393-94 (1990).
- ^ Cal. Penal Code Sec. 330.11; Bell Gardens v. City of Los Angeles, 231 Cal. App .3d 1563, 1568 (1991); California Gambling Law Resources
- ^ Lopez, Frank (2019-04-01). "'Proposition players' keep local card games steady". The Business Journal. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
- ^ "Third-Party Providers of Proposition Players Registration". State of California - Department of Justice - Office of the Attorney General. 2012-03-21. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
- ^ "Advantage Play in California Card Rooms". www.888casino.com. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
- ^ a b "Bureau of Gambling Control". Office of the Attorney General. 21 March 2012. Retrieved 2016-07-29.
- ^ Charlie LeDuff (November 25, 2002). "California bingo hall plays on world stage". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
- ^ "Raffles". Office of the Attorney General. 14 March 2012. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
- ^ a b "Nonprofit Organization Gambling Fundraiser Registration Program". Office of the Attorney General. 21 March 2012. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
- ^ Joseph R. Grodin; Michael B. Salerno; Darien Shanske (2015). The California State Constitution. Oxford University Press. pp. 166–167. ISBN 978-0-19-998864-8.
- ^ "Opinion No. 96-1011" (PDF). Office of the Attorney General of California. December 31, 1998. p. 2.
- ^ Michael Gardner (July 17, 2000). "Raffles leave lawmakers in quandary". San Diego Union-Tribune – via NewsBank.
- ^ Andy Bruno; Steve Chae (May 29, 2001). "New law on raffles effective soon". San Jose Mercury News – via NewsBank.
- ^ Gina Faridniya (August 25, 2006). "State may OK casino nights Bill to let charities hold games sent to governor". Ventura County Star – via NewsBank.
- ^ Vic Pollard (January 1, 2007). "State's new laws go into effect". The Bakersfield Californian – via NewsBank.
- ^ "Horse Racing and California Fairs" (PDF). California Authority of Racing Fairs. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
- ^ "Advance Deposit Wagering". California Horse Racing Board. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
- ^ a b "2019 Racing Schedule". California Horse Racing Board. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
- ^ "Simulcast Facilities". California Horse Racing Board. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
- ^ "CHRB Mission Statement". California Horse Racing Board. Retrieved 2016-07-23.
- ^ 48th Annual Report of the California Horse Racing Board (PDF) (Report). California Horse Racing Board. 2018. p. 45. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
- ^ Hank Wesch (July 29, 1987). "Track survived hard times to flourish". San Diego Union-Tribune – via NewsBank.
- ^ Jeff Meyers (October 2, 1991). "Horse latitude: Ventura Fairgrounds provides alternative to track betting". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
- ^ Jack Shinar (December 15, 2010). "California sports bar to open mini-satellite". The Blood-Horse. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
- ^ Don Thompson (August 26, 2002). "Remote wagering slow but steady in California". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
- ^ "Ratified Tribal-State Gaming Compacts (New and Amended)". California Gambling Control Commission. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
- ^ David Olson (April 27, 2015). "Tribal casinos: From poverty to payday". The Press-Enterprise. Riverside, CA. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
- ^ "Play Overview". California State Lottery. Retrieved 2016-07-21.
- ^ Robert Crabbe (September 28, 1986). "California lottery meets with success, ambivalence". UPI. Retrieved 2019-03-02.