The Best Online Casinos in California – Top Gambling Sites 2024

Top California Casino Apps

While many offshore casinos available for California players do not offer a downloadable app, it’s still simple to play from either your mobile or tablet. Many of the casinos have optimised their games especially for mobile, making them easy to play on whatever device you choose. This guide shows some of the best available online casinos for playing on the go on your mobile in CA.

1. Wild Casino

Wild Casino, like most offshore casinos, doesn’t have a dedicated app, but it doesn’t need one. The whole site is perfectly optimised for mobile browsing and playing, meaning you’ll simply need to access the website to get a great user experience regardless of your device.

2. TG Casino

TG Casino is unique in that all of their  offerings are accessed through the Telegram private messaging app. Not only do users not need to download an app, they don’t even need to register for an account to begin playing right away. You’ll need crypto to deposit, but you won’t even need to connect your wallet.

3. Drake Casino

Drake Casino has one of the best sites for mobile players, offering an extremely fast and easy-to-navigate site that works perfectly on all devices. With games divided into multiple sub-categories, it’s one of the easiest sites to find exactly what game you’re looking for.

Comparing California Casino Sites

After going through the ten reviews above, you’ve probably picked a few gaming platforms you consider ideal. The table below will help you compare the top real money online casino sites in California side-by-side.

Is it Legal to Play at Online Casinos in California?

You can use any of the 10 offshore casinos on our recommended list shown on this page. As they are all based abroad, there are no laws preventing you from playing at them.

As for regulated online casinos, lawmakers haven’t yet given the green light for any real money online casino California operator to set up shop yet. Players will have to drive up to one of the six states that have legalized online casino gaming. You can also find plenty of land casinos within the state.

There are over 60 tribal casinos located across California but many of them have limitations to the types of games that they can host. CA also has card rooms.

Who can Legally Play at Online Casinos in California?

The offshore casinos available in CA have a minimum age limit of 18. You must also submit identity documents to prove that you are eligible for playing.

Unlike online casino platforms based in legal states, offshore operators don’t require you to reside or be physically present in California to access games.

How to Use Online Casinos from California Legally

The best online gaming sites have, over the years, simplified the sign-up process. Here is a quick guide on how to open an account with a real money online casino in California. We’ll use our top casino, Wild Casino, as an example.

Step 1: Create an Account

Tap on the Join Now button and enter your information as required. Accept terms and conditions and click on Get Started.

Step 2: Deposit

Go to the banking section and select your payment method. Then enter the amount you wish to deposit.

Step 2: Claim Bonus

Depending on the casino you choose, you may need to opt in for the welcome bonus. Select the bonus type that you would like to claim and correctly enter the promo code.

Step 4: Start Playing

You can see your new account balance displayed on your dashboard and the bonus amount will also be available. Look for your favorite games and enjoy.

When Will Online Casinos be Legal in California?

It could be a couple of years or even longer before we see state regulated real money online casino California gaming. There is no predictable time frame.

Recently, there was a bit of hope that the state would soon have online sports gambling. However, a bill to legalize online and mobile sports gambling died in November 2022. Californians will have to wait for other legislative initiatives to see where the future of gambling is headed.

Tax on Online Casino Winnings in California

Although real money online casino sites in California are not regulated yet, your winnings are treated as income. The state applies standard taxes to all your earnings from online gaming. In California, income tax ranges from 1 % to 12.3%. You will also need to pay the 24% federal income tax. You can, however, offset your losses to reduce the tax burden.

Available Payment Methods

When playing at top real money online casino in California, you have access to a robust selection of payment methods. Below is a breakdown of three of the most popular banking options for deposits and payouts.

Crypto Casino Payments

Not as many online casino CA operators initially took crypto deposits. This trend is rapidly changing however, as more and more players start to favor cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. You can rely on crypto payments to be fast and secure. Bitcoin online casinos also provide relative anonymity.

eWallet Casino Payments

eWallets have been around a lot longer than cryptocurrency. As a result, you can expect to come across them on the vast majority of online gaming sites. Payment processors like Skrill and Neteller are by far the most common, though you might also have access to others like PayPal or Apple Pay.

eWallets share many of the same benefits as crypto. Making payments with them is fast, straightforward, and secure. While lacking the decentralization aspect of cryptocurrency, they make up for it by being more widely available.

Traditional Payment Methods

If eWallets and cryptocurrencies aren’t for you, most California online casino real money sites also provide more traditional options. Since basically most working adults have a bank account, you’ll find Visa or MasterCard deposit options with almost every operator.

You can also use direct bank transfers and, in some cases, coupons and gift cards. Due to the diversity of traditional payment methods, they don’t all share the same characteristics. For example, debit/credit cards are quicker than wire transfers, but the latter can affordably move significant amounts of money.

Casino Bonuses Available in California

Something top California online casinos are known for is showering both new and existing customers with irresistible bonuses. This section of the guide is meant to walk you through three of the most popular promos you’ll come across.

Match Deposit Bonuses

The deposit match is, by far, the most popular bonus type. Pretty much every real money online casino California has at least one of these in their bonus catalog. With Wild Casino’s 250% deposit match of up to $1,000, you get 2.5x your initial deposit as bonus funds.

In return, the casino gets a commitment that you’ll stay awhile and explore the different games it has to offer. That’s especially true considering you won’t be able to withdraw real money without wagering the funds a specified number of times, known as wagering conditions.

No Deposit Bonuses

The best online casino California sites occasionally offer customers bonus cash without any deposit requirements. Though a special promo code may sometimes be required, something as simple as logging in for the first time is all you need to trigger a no deposit bonus.

As you may imagine, the online casino real money no deposit California bonus amounts aren’t as big. Everygame Casino has a 5-tier welcome bonus, with the 5^th tier being a  no deposit bonus.

Free Spins

Since many real money online casinos California put a huge emphasis on their slot games, free spins are just as popular as deposit match bonuses. This bonus type lets you press the spin button without putting any money on the line.

As a result, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain when they’re active. Everygame Casino occasionally offers free spin offers that both fiat and crypto slot machine gamers may want to check out.

Popular Online Casino Games to Play in California

We’d bet you don’t want to sign up to an operator with awful games. And so, we’ll introduce you to some of the most popular games to look out for at top California online casinos. This will help you better recognize a quality game catalog as you browse through different sites.

Popular Online Slots

Slot games are definitely the most iconic games you can play at a real money online casino California. Below is our list of the best titles in tis genre. We’ve also added short descriptions of them to give you an idea about  what they’re all about.

Popular Table Games

While the list above is purely focused on slot games, that’s not all that real money online casinos California have to offer. There are also loads of popular table games you can play if you’re not in the mood to spin the reels.

Roulette

The image of the roulette wheel spinning with the little ball bouncing from number to number is iconic. In fact, when many players imagine an online casino in California, roulette is probably one of the first games that comes to mind. The lesser emphasis on skill required to win makes this game more easily accessible than many of the others on this list.

Blackjack

Blackjack is another must-have real money online casino California game. The objective of blackjack is to end up with a hand whose value is as close to 21 as possible without going bust. While being one of the most widely played table games, blackjack requires a bit more skill than slots or even roulette to get favorable results.

Baccarat

Unless you’ve a regular at an online casino for real money in California, baccarat isn’t really a game you’d know much about. It’s played between two hands: that of the Player, and that of the Banker. This exciting card game has three possible outcomes. The Banker wins, the Player wins, or it ends up being a Tie.

Poker

Poker is arguably the most popular game at every real money online casino California other than slots. While the game has a number of interesting variations, they all share one major trait in common: The goal of a game of poker is to end up with the best hand according to the rules. Check out the most popular California poker sites.

Video Poker

Video poker is one of the variations of poker briefly mentioned above. It is based on five-card draw poker.  At land-based casinos, it is often played on consoles that look a lot like slot machines. What differentiates video poker from slots though, is the higher emphasis on skill required for poker.

Craps

While not as commonly played as blackjack, poker or roulette, craps is a great game that many online operators offer users. It’s a dice game in which players bet on the outcome of a dice roll. It’s worth noting, however, that the state has laws against dice deciding the outcome of a casino game.

Keno

If you like lottery-based games, you may want to check out the keno offerings at our top real money online casinos California sites. Keno players wager by picking numbers ranging from 1 to about 80 and at the end of the game, 20 random numbers are selected. The players are then paid based on how many of the 20 selected numbers they guessed would be included.

Bingo

Most people imagine bingo as a game reserved exclusively for retirement homes and church functions. However, it’s a decently played game in a number of online casinos in California. The goal is to try and match the numbers printed in different arrangements on cards and the chance factor here is quite high.

Other Games

The games above are games that most real money online casinos California platforms are likely to have. However, for players with more niche tastes, there are plenty of other games you can enjoy even if you have a harder time finding them. These include Pai Gow, Sic Bo and Card Craps.

Top California Casino Apps

If you prefer to play online casino games from mobile or tablet devices, there are also plenty of available casino apps in California. The recommended offshore casinos in our review section all have sites which are optimised for all devices, although the exact offerings differ between operators. Here, we’ve provided a list of our top recommended casino apps for California residents.

Live Casinos in California

In cases where visiting a land-based casino is out of the question, the next best option is live casino games. They provide a deeper level of immersion, complete with a real human dealer, streaming their input through a webcam. Below are the most popular live dealer casino games for Californians:

• Live Blackjack – An online casino game that uses a real human dealer, sitting at a real table with real cards spread out in front of them.
• Live Roulette – Just like live blackjack, live roulette features a real person and a real roulette wheel that you can see through a live webcam stream.
• Live Poker – Live dealer Texas Hold’em pits you against a real life dealer, made to seem like they are sitting across from you at a poker table.
• Live Baccarat – When it comes to live baccarat, the player and dealer’s bets have a 1:1 payout ratio. However, any bet on the tie will lead to an 8:1 payout ratio.
• Live Keno – The most interactive kind of online Keno, in which the game is run by a real life person streaming the game live.
• Live Craps – If you’d like to play craps against real people, live multiplayer craps is the best way to do this from the comfort of your own home.

How California Online Casinos Compare to its Neighboring States

California’s neighboring states include Oregon to the North, Nevada and Arizona to the east and Mexico to the south. Each of them has differences in how they deal with online Bitcoin gambling. This section of the guide will briefly touch on these differences.

Oregon

At the time of writing, no forms of real money online gambling are legal in Oregon. Residents wishing to enjoy slots or table games are only permitted to do so at online social casinos where real money play is impossible.

This isn’t very different from the situation in California as all forms of commercial gambling are illegal here as well. As a result, there are no state regulated real money online casinos in California, nor are there any in Oregon.

Nevada

While online sports betting and poker are legal in Nevada, online casino gaming is still not regulated. That shouldn’t be surprising, seeing as this is the land-based casino capital. That said, Nevada residents can enjoy real money online offshore casino gaming with no fear of facing legal consequences.

Arizona

As of now, the only form of online gambling in Arizona is sports betting. This comes as a relief to sports fans in the state, who are free to make wagers on any upcoming games. However, the friendly attitude to online sports books is not reflected in real money online casinos. Unlike Oregon, however, the situation in Arizona is likely to change in the future.

Top Land-Based Casinos in California

While legislation makes no room for Californian online casinos, there are several legal forms of land-based gambling. This is mainly through cardrooms, Indian Casinos, the State Lottery, parimutuel betting on horse races and gaming for charity purposes. As a result, you’ll find many land-based gambling locations to visit. Here are some of the most popular ones.

Thunder Valley Casino (Lincoln, CA)

• Address: 1200 Athens Ave, Lincoln, CA 95648, United States
• Opening hours: Open 24 hours.

This award-winning casino located in Lincoln, California features a 250,000 square foot gaming floor that hosts over 3,000 slot machines and 100 table games. The casino also boasts a massive Poker room, capable of seating as many as 250 players at a time. All of this comes along with world class accommodations for anyone planning to stay in the hotel.

Cache Creek Casino (Brooks, CA)

• Address: 14455 CA-16, Brooks, CA 95606, United States
• Opening hours: Open 24 hours.

Cache Creek’s casino offers gamers a truly unforgettable experience. Its gaming floor is home to over 2,000 slot games, hundreds of table games. It’s also important not to forget the amazing Elevate Lounge, where you can treat yourself to a drink or two after winning some games. If drinking isn’t for you, you can also hit the dance floor or enjoy the musical stylings of the fantastic live musicians who come to perform.

Red Hawk Casino (Placerville, CA)

• Address: 1 Red Hawk Pkwy, Placerville, CA 95667, United States
• Opening hours: Open 24 hours.

Another massive Californian casino, Red Hawk Casino’s game floor features around 2,500 of the world’s best slot machines, ranging from a single penny to $25! There are also several fantastic table games to sink your teeth into as well. You can find popular choices like poker and blackjack. Or, if you feel like trying something different, there are tables for Pai Gow and Baccarat to boot.

Commerce Casino (Commerce, CA)

• Address: 6131 Telegraph Rd, Commerce, CA 90040, United States
• Opening hours: Open 24 hours.

While not exactly a casino, the Commerce Casino is a very popular card room. This means that instead of having slots and many non-card based games, the venue functions exclusively as a place to play card games. Commerce offers as many as 240 tables on site and it’s widely known as the world’s biggest cardroom by far. Come enjoy one of the many tournaments hosted here, as well as 24/7 table-side services and stunning accommodations.

Other CA Land Casinos

The casinos above are four of the best the state has to offer. However, they are by no means the only ones available. Depending on your price range or willingness to travel, you can also pay the following world class casinos a visit:

The Best Online Casino in California

California isn’t the most online casino gaming-friendly state. However, residents can access hundreds of offshore casinos online. It goes without saying that not every one of these websites are legit and of a high-enough quality for you. We reviewed most of them and tipped BetOnline to be the  best online casino in California.

BetOnline offers users one of the most generous and flexible bonus packages. You’ll also find hundreds of irresistible games by the best software providers. The excellent navigability, broad range of payment methods, and robust customer service complete the package. You can join Wild Casino here to experience all this and more.

Gambling Addiction Resources in California

Gambling addiction is a problem that can develop when you are not careful about your habits. There is a screening tool, provided by the National Council on Problem Gambling, that collects 10 questions you can ask yourself. If you or someone you know needs help there are plenty of resources available.

• The California Department of Public Health has an Office of Problem Gambling with resources and the chance to speak to counselors.
• The California Council on Problem Gambling offers support for families as well as the person who is suffering.
• Gamblers Anonymous is a place you can talk and hear the testimonials of other people dealing with the addiction.
• Speak to someone at the National Problem Gambling Helpline, you can contact them through the chat service.