The topic of legal online poker is not new to the state of California, the largest potential market that exists in North America by far. However, to date, politicians, operators, and tribes that control most of the State’s gaming have not been able to fully agree on the terms of a bill that would return online poker to The Golden State.
Legal Status of Playing Poker Online in California
Legal online poker technically does not exist in the state of California, and while there have been no documented attempts to push charges on players, the way the law is written players cannot use money to participate in any monetary activity online, let alone play poker. Sweepstake poker rooms exist where players can play from California by buying a virtual currency on the site, and then exchanging it for cash later, or choose to play on unregulated, offshore sites that allow deposits and withdraws directly. Get to know more about US Poker rooms here.
Previous Attempts to Regulate Online Poker in California
What may come as a surprise in California is that unlike most States that have not devoted time or resources to legalizing online poker, numerous bills over the years have been created to get it done but ultimately have failed through Congress and the Senate. For the most part reasons these bills have failed can be summed up in two points:
There is always an election around the corner that creates challenges for politicians not wanting to polarize their constituents.
More than one bill has been created at a time and politicians cannot agree on which one should pass.
Given the budget shortfall that California faces one would think that one of the proposed bills would have passed but to date, all have not made it to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law. Since Black Friday law makers have made several attempts at getting it done but all have ended in failure:
2008: Bill AB2026 was introduced to study the feasibility of intrastate online poker. It passed committee, and was amended by both the Assembly & Senate, it ultimately stalled.
2010: Bill SB 1485 was floated as a possible bill but was withdrawn after receiving significant pushback from the public.
2010: SB 40 was introduced with the backing of many tribes in the State, but it failed to gain any momentum and went nowhere.
2012: SB 1463 took another shot with the backing of the tribes in an alliance, but it did not improve on the progress made the year prior, and the alliance of the tribes ended after the defeat.
2013: Bills SB 51 and SB 678 were both introduced but failed to gain any traction and fizzled out quickly.
2014: Bill SB 1366 and AB 2291 caused a fair amount of discussion as the former introduced a bad actor clause that would have prevented operators from getting licensed if they served the State after Black Friday. Discussions on both yielded resistance from various groups and neither made it into the Assembly.
2015: Four online poker bills were brought forth, but all were met with different resistance, and all failed to produce results.
2016: AB 2863 passed committee and was allowed to move forward but met resistance on taxation rules and was sent back for review, but it never made it out.
2017 saw bill AB 1677 take a shot at legalization but it did not make it out of committee and by the end of 2017, the partnerships between PokerStars and California tribes ended.
2018 saw a bill that focused on sports betting and not poker, but it too ended in defeat.
2019 saw poker pushed to the side line and the State focused on gambling and sports betting but did not see any additional progress from the previous bills.
2022: Two propositions for legalized sports betting were on the November ballots but both were voted down by the public in huge numbers.
California does not have legalized real money poker but that is not to say that online poker does not exist. It does, but in the form of sweepstakes online poker.
Sweepstake poker sites are legal poker sites that offer real money prizes that players can access. The main difference between more traditional online poker sites and sweepstake poker sites is that traditional poker sites offer buy-ins and prizes in an established currency, usually USD. A sweepstake poker site will offer players the chance to buy tickets, or a different currency used by the site that will allow the player to access these tournaments and cash games. Once ready to cash out, players can get this currency refunded back to them.
When players go to play in a cash game or buy-in to a tournament, they will use the site’s currency to get in and play. For example, at Global Poker, players can buy gold coins that can be used in various cash games or tournaments, and as players accumulate more coins, they can trade those coins in for cash prizes or gift cards, versus having the site send out bank transfers back to the player at a more traditional online poker room.
While legal, online poker players will want to review a sweepstake poker’s sites rules and how money is moved onto and off the site to ensure they fully understand how the site works and what limitations it may have compared to other poker offerings as the concept of buying into a different currency and how players get their money out could be confusing to some poker players.
The Live Poker Scene in California
Unlike online poker, live poker is alive and well in the Golden State as there are over 60 licensed casinos and card rooms that offer Texas Hold’em and other variants – all are owned and operated by over 60 tribes based in the State. Some of the biggest tournaments, poker series and cash game streams can be found in the State, whether it’s the WPT holding a major series at the Commerce Casino or watching a cash game stream online from the Bicycle Casino or Hustler Casino. Any player looking for a game or a tournament, no matter where you are in the State, will find it at one of their local card rooms or casinos.
Some of the most famous poker rooms are found in California as shown in the table below. The Bicycle Casino, Hustler Casino, Lucky Lady Casino, Commerce Casino, the Gardens Casino, and Hollywood Park all service the greater Los Angeles area and will always have multiple games and tournaments going on around the clock.
Technically no, online poker for real money is not legal in California. All the online poker rooms that follow licensing rules are not open to players from the Golden State, however players have three options available to them if they want to play poker for money – play on an offshore, unregulated site; play on a sweepstake poker site, or play at a live casino or card room.
When will online poker be legal in California?
No one has any idea when online poker will be fully legal in California. Given the countless attempts politicians have tried in the past to have legislation passed that would allow online poker, some believe it will never happen. The main sticking point seems to be that politicians, poker operators and tribes that operate all the brick-and-mortar rooms cannot agree on terms.
What is the best California online poker site?
For global gaming sweepstakes, the best California online poker site, as seen in the table above, is Global Poker. They are the most established sweepstake poker room with the largest assortment of games and tournaments, and reliable payment systems.
Can you win real money playing online poker in California?
Yes, you can win real money playing online poker in California, provided you are playing on either a sweepstake poker room, or an offshore, unregulated poker room. In the case of sweepstake poker rooms, players can win coins or another currency that the online poker room offers and exchange those for cash prizes or gift cards.
Is PokerStars available in California?
No, PokerStars is not available for real money poker in California. Players can access play money poker on PokerStars within California, including home games that are not for real money, but until online poker is legalized in the State, PokerStars will not be available.
What is the difference between sweepstake poker and real money online poker?
The biggest difference between real money poker and sweepstake poker is that real money poker sites allow players to deposit and withdraw an established currency, typically USD directly onto and off the site. Sweepstake poker sites differ because players can buy the site’s local currency to use to enter poker games and tournaments, and then buy cash prizes or gift cards when they are ready to get their money off the site.
What is the status of the current bill in the California Assembly to legalize online poker?
Two propositions were put forth in the last November elections in California to legalize online poker, as well as sports betting but both were easily defeated by wide margins, thus making the immediate outlook for online poker bleak at best.
