The State of California is one in which some attempts have been made to legalize certain forms of online gambling, in a limited way. Specifically, four bills were introduced in 2015 alone with the goal of legalizing and regulating online poker, however, all of those bills died a Legislative death due to inaction.
Furthermore, I have read through the entirety of the laws concerning, ‘Unlawful Gambling,’ in the State of California which would seem to go through virtually all possible forms of unlawful gambling and prescribes penalties for operators of same.
I can promise that the above link is in no way whatsoever an enjoyable read, unless you have a particular interest in long-winded laws that have nothing whatsoever to do with mere players. After having read the statutes above-linked, I can only conclude that there are no penalties whatsoever as pertains mere players of online gambling games, however, there are a number of penalties for operators which vary (mostly fines) based on the games being played.
However, California is an interesting state because their laws make it such that Municipalities and Counties could specifically enact laws that make online gambling illegal for players as well as operators. I do not know that any of these Municipalities have actually done so, or if they have, whether or not it is meaningfully enforced, (I doubt it) but for those of you who have a moral compunction to always operate fully within the law (admittedly, I don’t, some laws are stupid, carry minimal penalties and a high unlikelihood of prosecution) then I would check your Municipal or County codes before gambling online.
For those of you who don’t think California is serious about punishing illegal operators when it comes to unauthorized gambling activities, this may be a good read.
This is not just a recent development, either, as California shut down an illegal sports betting and poker house and made arrests associated therewith over a decade ago.
Therefore, California is serious about punishing those who operate illegally within the state. That should come as no surprise given the state has many legal forms of gambling and is largely protecting its own financial interests. Once again, it is very unlikely that any unauthorized and unregulated online casino operates out of California, and in fact, very few (if any) operate within the United States other than in regulated markets, so they are essentially out of reach of California authorities.
Ultimately, there can be no question that California is inclined to crack down on unauthorized forms of gambling from a standpoint of operators, but the law leaves little question that players are completely free to do as they like. In that sense, online gambling for mere players is legal in all cases barring any Municipal or County ordinances against. However, if California does legalize online card rooms or online gambling in general, then it is possible that these laws may change to say that players may only participate in regulated online gambling...but that remains to be seen.
Once again, we cannot completely ignore the harsh penalties for those operating unlawfully completely, but we are mostly concerned with players, so California will be categorized as, ‘Little/None.’
FINAL RANKING: Little/None: 4
Further Reading
Casinos found: 232
If we have jumped the gun, you can remove that filter by clicking here.
$20
No Deposit - EXCLUSIVE
$20
No Deposit - EXCLUSIVE
$20
No Deposit - EXCLUSIVE
$20
No Deposit - EXCLUSIVE
$20
No Deposit - EXCLUSIVE
$20
No Deposit - Exclusive
$35
No Deposit - Exclusive
500% up to $2500
Sign Up Bonus
$69
No Deposit - EXCLUSIVE
$44
No Deposit - Exclusive
$100
No Deposit - Exclusive
250% up to $250
Sign Up Bonus - EXCLUSIVE
Examples of deposits:
Bitcoin$68
No Deposit Bonus - EXCLUSIVE
100% up to $1000
Sign Up Bonus
100 Spins
No Deposit Bonus - Exclusive
$77
No Deposit Bonus - Exclusive
50 Spins
No Deposit Bonus - Casino Spins
40 Spins
No Deposit - Casino Spins
50 Spins
No Deposit Bonus - Casino Spins
$15
No Deposit Bonus - Exclusive
AU$/€/$77
No Deposit - EXCLUSIVE
$40
No Deposit - Exclusive
$30
No Deposit
150% up to $1500
Sign Up Bonus
$40
No Deposit - Exclusive
$30
No Deposit Bonus
$30
No Deposit Bonus
$40
No Deposit - Exclusive
$100
Black Friday Bonus - Exclusive
$44
No Deposit Bonus - EXCLUSIVE
$25
No Deposit Bonus - EXCLUSIVE
137% up to ₿1
Sign Up Bonus - Exclusive
335% up to $3350 + 175 Spins
Sign Up Bonus + 175 FS - EXCLUSIVE
177% up to $500
Sign Up Bonus - EXCLUSIVE
$100
No Deposit Bonus
200% up to €/$3000
Sign Up Bonus
320% up to $2000
Sign Up Bonus - Live Dealer Exclusive
€/$15
No Deposit
275% up to $2000
Sign Up Bonus - Live Dealer Exclusive
100 Spins
Casino Spins - EXCLUSIVE
AU$15
No Deposit - Exclusive Bonus
$20
No Deposit - Exclusive
AU$20
No Deposit Bonus - EXCLUSIVE
500% up to €/$2500 + 150 Spins
Sign Up Bonus
210% up to $2100 + 200 Spins
Sign Up Bonus - Exclusive
300% up to $300 + 100 Spins
Sign Up Bonus - Exclusive
300% up to $1000
Sign Up Bonus
$175
No Deposit - Exclusive
150% up to $150
Sign Up Bonus - Exclusive
lcb activities in the last 24 hours
Join today and start earning rewards
You will immediately get full access to our online casino forum/chat plus receive our newsletter with news & exclusive bonuses every month.