Online gambling isn’t legal in California, due to the state’s current gambling laws. However, there is an exception for online horserace betting operators.
California is well-known for its excellent and traditional land-based casinos. As a result, the establishment of online casinos wasn’t totally welcomed in the state. This has greatly affected the residents who wish to gamble conveniently from wherever they are. Continue reading to find out more.
Is Online Gambling Legal in California?
No, online gambling is not legal in California. This automatically means you won’t find any state-licensed gambling sites there. In fact, any online casino established in the state, without proper licensing from the state government will be penalized.
One of the exceptions to the online gambling laws are online horse racing sites. California residents are allowed to participate in online horse racing and even gamble on them physically and online. Sports betting and daily fantasy sports betting are a legal gray area at the moment.
Still this doesn’t mean that Californians are left without an option to bet on other sports online or to gamble at the casino online. As a Californian, you can easily gamble online using an offshore alternative. Also, online casinos that offer free games without deposits are an exception.
How to Do It
So if you are living in California and thinking about online gambling, you are allowed to use casinos registered elsewhere. All you have to do is visit an online casino that is licensed and established in another state where online gambling is legal. You can access such sites without the risk of getting penalized, as the online casino is not based in California.
However, it’s important to know that not all online casinos accept Californians. So you have to do your research and find a suitable online casino that can be used for your gambling activities.
Between Las Vegas and Texas
In California, you can play online casino games for free without any gambling involved. Together with the fact that land-based casinos are preferred, online casinos do not usually thrive in this state. Without any gambling involved, most Californians don’t find it worthwhile to engage in online casinos.
However, with Las Vegas, this is the opposite. Las Vegas has a lot of online casinos that offer a wide range of games that can be gambled on. As a result, this state is seen as the perfect place to set up an online casino. With most online casinos in Las Vegas, you can play online poker, roulette, blackjack, slots and many more games.
Another location that should be considered is Texas. In this state, all forms of online gambling are prohibited. Yes, even fantasy sports betting and horse racing gambling are banned. However, the only online gambling activity allowed is the purchase of lottery tickets.
With this comparison, you can see just how differently these states act towards online casinos and how that affects gambling.
Conclusion
Living in California doesn’t prevent you from gambling online. All you have to do is follow the steps outlined above. Moreover, online gambling may become completely legal in California later on. Until then, we advise that you make use of this article to start your gambling journey.