California Gambling Statute

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.

  • California criminal laws on gambling identify unlawful conduct related to gambling that is made punishable by sanctions, such as imprisonment and/or fines. The information below provides an California-specific general overview of the legal regime of gambling in California.
  • California is a haven for cardrooms. Currently, the California Gambling Control Commission (CGCC) shows 88 active cardrooms throughout the state with 1,997 total tables in operation. This is in addition to the tribal gambling operations in California, which currently total 62 casinos. While state legislators have yet to find agreement.
  • California law generally recognizes the following forms of gaming: Indian casinos, cardclubs, pari-mutuel horse wagering, charitable gaming, and the state lottery. Indian Casinos - Casinos fashioned after Las Vegas casinos, or “Vegas-Style Casinos,” usually refer to casinos with banked games (poker, blackjack), bingo, and slot machines.

California gambling law is among the most liberal in the country, outside of New Jersey and Nevada. As a frontier state, California has a long history with gambling, both regulated and unregulated. Because California’s population swelled during the 20th century, it’s now one of the most influential states in America. The California Constitution prohibits various gaming activities within the state, including casino-style gambling, but authorizes the Governor, subject to ratification by the Legislature, to negotiate and conclude compacts for the operation of slot machines and the conduct of lottery games and banking and percentage card games by federally recognized Indian tribes on Indian lands in California in accordance with federal law.

California Gambling Statute

Cardrooms[edit]

Licensed cardrooms may offer approved card games in which players vie against each other (rather than against the house), such as poker.[1] As of 2019, there were 66 cardrooms operating in the state (and another 21 licensed but not operating).[2] Since 1995, there has been a moratorium on new cardrooms.[3][4] The industry generated $850 million in revenue after payouts in 2018.[3]

Non-banked card games such as poker have always been legal in the state.[5] 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.[6] Cardrooms also operate non-banked versions of card games such as Pai Gow Poker, where players can take turns playing the dealer hand against the other players.[7] Statewide cardroom regulations were enacted in 1984.[8] In 1997, the Gambling Control Act was adopted, which created the California Gambling Control Commission to regulate California cardrooms.[8]

Charitable gaming[edit]

Eligible nonprofit organizations may operate bingo games,[9]raffles,[10] and poker nights.[11] Organizations are limited to one poker night per year.[11]

Gambling

State voters in 1976 approved a constitutional amendment allowing counties and cities to legalize charitable bingo.[12][13] An amendment to allow charitable raffles passed in 2000, and enabling legislation went into effect in 2001.[14][15] Legislation allowing poker night fundraisers took effect in 2007.[16][17]

Statute

Parimutuel wagering[edit]

California Gambling Statute Rules

Parimutuel wagering on horse racing is permitted at racetracks and satellite wagering facilities, and online through advance-deposit wagering providers.[18][19] Extended racing meets are held throughout the year at five tracks: Cal Expo, Del Mar, Golden Gate Fields, Los Alamitos, and Santa Anita.[20] Four other fairgrounds tracks hold brief meets in the summer and early fall.[20] There are 27 satellite wagering facilities throughout the state, most of them found at county fairgrounds, cardrooms, and tribal casinos.[21] Racing and wagering is regulated by the California Horse Racing Board.[22] As of 2018, the annual amount wagered on California races was $3.2 billion, with $662 million retained after payouts.[23]

Horse race wagering was legalized by voter referendum in 1933.[24] Satellite wagering was first legalized at fairgrounds in 1985,[25] and was expanded to private facilities in 2008.[26] Advance-deposit wagering became legal in 2002.[27]

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.[28] The industry generates approximately $8 billion in annual revenue after payouts.[3] 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).[29]

California

Lottery[edit]

California Gambling Statistics

The California State Lottery offers scratchcards and draw games, including the multi-state Powerball and Mega Millions games.[30]

The Lottery was approved by voter referendum in 1984 and sold its first tickets in 1985.[31]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Charlene Wear Simmons (May 2006). Gambling in the Golden State 1998 Forward(PDF) (Report). California State Library. p. 107. Retrieved 2016-07-21.
  2. ^'Active Gambling Establishments in California'. California Gambling Control Commission. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  3. ^ abc'Overview of Gambling in California'(PDF). Legislative Analyst's Office. February 2019. Retrieved 2019-02-28.
  4. ^SB 654: Local moratorium: Gambling tables(PDF) (Report). Assembly Committee on Governmental Organization. June 21, 2017. p. 2. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  5. ^Analysis of AB 317 (Report). Office of Senate Floor Analyses. 1999. Retrieved 2016-07-28.
  6. ^Tibbetts v. Van de Kamp, 222 Cal. App. 3d 392, 393-94 (1990).
  7. ^Cal. Penal Code Sec. 330.11; Bell Gardens v. City of Los Angeles, 231 Cal. App .3d 1563, 1568 (1991); California Gambling Law Resources
  8. ^ ab'Bureau of Gambling Control'. Office of the Attorney General. Retrieved 2016-07-29.
  9. ^Charlie LeDuff (November 25, 2002). 'California bingo hall plays on world stage'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  10. ^'Raffles'. Office of the Attorney General. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  11. ^ ab'Nonprofit Organization Gambling Fundraiser Registration Program'. Office of the Attorney General. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  12. ^Joseph R. Grodin; Michael B. Salerno; Darien Shanske (2015). The California State Constitution. Oxford University Press. pp. 166–167.
  13. ^'Opinion No. 96-1011'(PDF). Office of the Attorney General of California. December 31, 1998. p. 2.
  14. ^Michael Gardner (July 17, 2000). 'Raffles leave lawmakers in quandary'. San Diego Union-Tribune – via NewsBank.
  15. ^Andy Bruno; Steve Chae (May 29, 2001). 'New law on raffles effective soon'. San Jose Mercury News – via NewsBank.
  16. ^Gina Faridniya (August 25, 2006). 'State may OK casino nights Bill to let charities hold games sent to governor'. Ventura County Star – via NewsBank.
  17. ^Vic Pollard (January 1, 2007). 'State's new laws go into effect'. The Bakersfield Californian – via NewsBank.
  18. ^'Horse Racing and California Fairs'(PDF). California Authority of Racing Fairs. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  19. ^'Advance Deposit Wagering'. California Horse Racing Board. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  20. ^ ab'2019 Racing Schedule'. California Horse Racing Board. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  21. ^'Simulcast Facilities'. California Horse Racing Board. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  22. ^'CHRB Mission Statement'. California Horse Racing Board. Retrieved 2016-07-23.
  23. ^48th Annual Report of the California Horse Racing Board(PDF) (Report). California Horse Racing Board. 2018. p. 45. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  24. ^Hank Wesch (July 29, 1987). 'Track survived hard times to flourish'. San Diego Union-Tribune – via NewsBank.
  25. ^Jeff Meyers (October 2, 1991). 'Horse latitude: Ventura Fairgrounds provides alternative to track betting'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  26. ^Jack Shinar (December 15, 2010). 'California sports bar to open mini-satellite'. The Blood-Horse. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  27. ^Don Thompson (August 26, 2002). 'Remote wagering slow but steady in California'. Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  28. ^'Ratified Tribal-State Gaming Compacts (New and Amended)'. California Gambling Control Commission. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  29. ^David Olson (April 27, 2015). 'Tribal casinos: From poverty to payday'. The Press-Enterprise. Riverside, CA. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  30. ^'Play Overview'. California State Lottery. Retrieved 2016-07-21.
  31. ^Robert Crabbe (September 28, 1986). 'California lottery meets with success, ambivalence'. UPI. Retrieved 2019-03-02.

California Gambling Statutes

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