Poker games that involve any form of money wagering, such as cash games, aren’t available to play in California. Players in CA won’t have any trouble finding card rooms, which are legal under the state gambling regulation. Poker rooms in California offer many popular poker game variants, including Hold’em, Omaha, Card-Stud and many others.
Online Poker: Not Yet a Reality
Online poker isn’t available to play for actual money, so cash games aren’t available for players in California. For now, sweepstakes poker and social gaming apps remain the only way for players to enjoy online poker. California does not have any plans yet to introduce online poker for real cash in the state.
Land-based operators aren’t allowed to offer online poker. California poker players will likely have to wait for a while longer before the state legislators actually make some progress with online gaming regulations. If it does happen eventually, California players will be able to enjoy all the popular online poker game variants. Poker sites such as PokerStars, PartyPoker, 888Poker and WSOP offer Hold’em, No-Limit Hold’em, Pot-Limit Hold’em, Omaha variants, Seven-card Stud and many other poker games.
California Online Gambling: A Complex Situation
There have been no significant inroads to legalize internet gambling in California yet. This means that state residents won’t be able to enjoy popular online poker operators such as PokerStars, PartyPoker, 888Poker or WSOP, all of which already offer their services in other states.
A recent attempt by the Lipay Nation of Santa Ysabel’s Desert Rose to run an online bingo site did not succeed. The online bingo site had a complicated workaround ato offer legal online gaming, but the 9th Circuit of Court Appeals ultimately ruled against it. Since the precedent has already been set, it looks like online gaming in California will remain in the limbo for a bit longer.
California Poker Sites FAQ
How to play online poker in California?
For now, the only ways available to play poker online in California are sweepstakes poker sites and social gaming. While you likely won’t get into legal trouble for playing at offshore sites, you are better off avoiding this option. There is no current precedent to penalize players for this, but offshore sites aren’t regulated by U.S. authorities. Therefore, they have no requirements to follow U.S. legislation. Additionally, they operate under relatively lax regulations and a good number of them do not offer enough protection to the players.
What California poker sites take PayPal?
Online poker isn’t legal in California, so there are no internet poker operators in the state. In other words, you can’t use PayPal to deposit since online poker isn’t legalized in the state. Live poker at card rooms is the only way to play poker for actual cash in California.
What poker sites are legal in California?
The only sites legal in California are sweepstakes poker and social gaming. These are legal alternatives for online poker in California, although they do not offer real cash wagering. California does not allow any forms of online gambling, and that also applies for online poker.
Where can you play online poker in California?
The online poker alternatives available in California are sweepstakes poker, such as Global Poker, and social gaming. These do not offer real money poker games however, since California does not allow online gambling. Cash games and other poker games that involve any form of money wagering aren’t available for players in California.
Is PokerStars legal in California?
No, PokerStars isn’t legal in California. The state does not allow internet gambling, which means that popular online poker operators such as PokerStars, PartyPoker, 888poker and WSOP aren’t allowed to offer their games in California territory.
Is it legal to play online poker in the US?
Yes, online poker is legal to play in the US. You can play for real cash if you are at least 21 years old and physically located in one of the states that allow online poker. These states are Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania.
Can I gamble online in California?
No, you cannot gamble online in California. The state gambling legislation does not allow internet gambling, so it isn’t possible to bet on sports, play any online casino games or any online poker games. However, California does allow tribal casinos and land-based card rooms.
Is playing poker for money illegal in California?
No, playing poker for money isn’t illegal in California, since poker is one of the gambling options available in the state. California card rooms aren’t allowed to offer house-banked games. This is not the case for poker, which means that you can play poker games for money in CA.
What kind of gambling is legal in California?
The forms of legal gambling in California are tribal casinos, card rooms, charitable gambling and horse racing wagering. The state does not allow any forms of online gambling, and that also applies for online poker.