Are Online Casinos Legal For California Residents?
Are online casinos legal in California? That's a surprisingly difficult question to answer—partly because it depends on your definition of legal, partly because state and federal laws are both applicable, but mostly because California's legislation is rather vague on the issue!
A couple of things can be said with certainty, though. The first is that online casinos are exceedingly popular among California residents. This may come as something of a surprise, given the fact that California actually offers numerous legal, land-based casinos. For more and more players, however, the convenience offered by online gaming is preferable.
The other important thing to note is that the question of legality is a different matter than the question of safety. While online casinos may or may not be legal in California—depending on how you choose to define the term—they are absolutely safe. This page will outline some of the reasons why this is the case.
California's Internet Gaming Laws
The first thing to mention, with regard to California's stance on online casinos, is that the state generally has a fairly permissive, lenient approach to gambling. No, there are not as many legal gambling opportunities here as there are in Nevada or in New Jersey, yet the sheer number of land-based casinos and poker rooms betrays a fairly progressive attitude toward gaming in general.
On the topic of legal casino gambling in California, however, the state's laws are surprisingly silent. This may change in the near future; online casino legislation is currently on the table in California. With that said, California's current gambling laws do not expressly condone or criminalize online casinos. They simply leave a gray area.
Is It Safe For CA Residents To Play Casino Games Online?
Far from being a bad thing, this ambiguity is actually a boon to gamers in the State. What it means is that California residents are not penalized for playing in online casinos—because again, the law does not make any provision for online gaming to be penalized. As such, it is a safe option for California residents.
Not only are online casinos safe for California residents, but in a way, they are also legal. That is to say, by playing through a licensed, offshore gaming site, players can remove themselves from California's jurisdiction altogether. This allows them to play with total peace of mind, and without fear over legal consequences.
Synopsis: California Players Are Allowed To Play Online
To return to our original question: Are online casinos legal in California? While this question is a bit murky, the undeniable reality is that online casinos are totally safe for the state's gaming enthusiasts. This is especially true for gamers who are careful to select online casinos that are licensed through offshore gaming companies—casinos with track records for integrity and respectability, like the ones highlighted on this site. Also worth noting is the fact that California's legislature may soon make online casinos even safer, expressly recognized and regulated by the state government. All told, there are plenty of safe and legal online casino opportunities for California residents.
Bovada Casino - The Best Online Casino In CA
Bovada is the best online casino in California and it’s not particularly close - the casino hits every mark that it could possibly hit. In terms of reliability and trust, it’s regulated in Costa Rica, and trusted by a huge number of bettors every day. In terms of bonuses, Bovada offers the best bonuses with the lowest rollovers compared to basically all of its contemporaries. Payment and withdrawal options are easy to access, and Bovada accepts a wide variety of different forms of deposits and withdrawals, so you can easily access Bovada. Bovada even offers mobile access to their wide variety of casino games, which range from slots to table games to live dealer games. Overall, it’s easy to see why Bovada is such a great casino for California players.
Best Online Casinos For California Residents
Cryptocurrency At Online Casinos In CA
Cryptocurrency is one of the best ways to deposit and withdraw at online casinos in California. These casinos are excellent, and easy to use with cryptocurrency. The reason these casinos make it so easy to use crypto with them is that they have stores of crypto, and other people adopting it makes their value increase. This is good for both you and the casino. On the casino’s end, they make money just by doing business in crypto. On your end, since they make money, they offer better perks for using crypto, such as no-fee withdrawals and bigger bonuses. For this reason, it is a good idea to use crypto with online casinos in CA.
Is Online Poker Legal In CA?
Online poker can be accessed in California via offshore casinos. There are plenty of retail poker locations in the state, but none of them are authorized to offer online poker. This means that the only way to play poker online is via tables at offshore casinos. These poker tables at online casinos are easily accessible, and can be played on both mobile devices and online computers with ease.
Is Online Blackjack Legal In CA?
You can access blackjack in California legally by using online casinos. These casinos are overwhelmingly located offshore, removing them from the jurisdiction of California’s fairly draconian gambling restrictions. Think of it as similar to the tribal casinos in CA, only without compacts. These online casinos do offer blackjack, and they can be found all over the internet.
Are Online Slots Legal In CA?
Online slot machine gameplay is legal in California, but the only places that offer it are offshore casinos. These casinos are located outside of California, but are accessible by those within the state’s borders thanks to the magic of the internet. Connecting to one of these casinos on a mobile device or personal computer will allow you to access hundreds of slot machines from the comfort of your home.
Are Mobile Casinos Legal In CA?
Mobile casinos are available in California thanks to internet-enabled offshore casinos. These casinos are located outside of the borders of CA, and can be accessed on mobile devices as well as computers. All you have to do in order to play at these casinos on a mobile device such as an iPhone or an Android is to visit the website of the casino you want to play at - such as Bovada - in your phone's mobile browser. When you do, you will see a mobile-optimized version of their website, which allows you to access mobile betting with ease as soon as you sign in. Many casinos are very well-optimized for mobile betting, so you get excellent betting options from them.
CA Online Casinos Vs. Tribal Casinos
Tribal casinos in California have a lot of similarities to the offshore casinos available online. Both groups of casinos do not follow the laws in California Penal Code 330 because they are not subject to the jurisdiction of the state. The difference is that the tribal casinos have compacts with CA, while the online casinos are simply located outside of CA. The obvious difference this creates is that the online casinos are located only online, while the tribal casinos are located only within the state.
CA Online Casinos Vs. Card Rooms
Card rooms in CA are fairly limited in terms of what they are allowed to offer. More or less, they can only offer wagers on games in which players play against each other, not games like blackjack where they play against the house. Online casinos, on the other hand, focus primarily on offering as many games as possible. These casinos have no restrictions on what they are allowed to offer, and this shows in the amount of games they allow you to play. Online casinos will certainly have a better game selection than CA card rooms.