The best online casinos in California 2024

Our top recommended California online casinos

Rank	Casino	Regional Flag	Bonus Offer	Play Online		Offers Claimed	Screenshot	Pros	More Details	Casino Review
#1 TOP RATED CASINO			Exclusive Offer: 245,000 Gold Coins + 117.5 Free Sweepstakes CoinsBonus	Play Now		2795 claimed this offer in the last month		Deposit options include Exclusive promo code: CORGBONUS Get rewarded with daily bonuses Play your way with no redemption cap Visit Site Read Hello Millions Review More details
2			200 Gold Coins, 40 Sweeps Coins, and 100 diamondsBonus	Play Now		1675 claimed this offer in the last month		Deposit options include 1200+ Games, Slots & Live Dealer Games! FREE Daily Rewards Authentic brand, Made in the USA Visit Site Read High 5 Casino Review More details
3			1.5 Million Wow Coins + 35 Free Sweepstakes CoinsBonus	Play Now		2876 claimed this offer in the last month		Deposit options include Exclusive promo code: CORGBONUS 800+ slots, double other sweeps sites Purchase more coins from just $0.49 Visit Site Read WOW Vegas Review More details
4			550,000 Gold Coins, $55 SC + 5% RakebackBonus	Play Now			Exclusive promo code: CORGBONUS 3,000+ games inc. Stake originals Weekly slots battles for 50M GC		Read Stake Review
5			800,000 Crown Coins + 40 Free Sweepstakes CoinsBonus	Play Now			Crown Coins Loyalty Program FREE Daily Rewards & Weekly Challenges Mobile App for iOS Available		Read CrownCoins Review
6			Exclusive Offer: 107,500 Gold Coins + 35 Free Sweepstakes CoinsBonus	Play Now			Exclusive promo code: CORGBONUS Win cash prizes on the MCJACKPOT Get free GC every time you log in		Read McLuck Review
7			Up to 367,000 Gold Coins + 32.3 Free Sweepstakes CoinsBonus	Play Now			Exclusive promo code: CORGBONUS Top-tier gaming providers Win huge CASH prizes		Read Pulsz Review
8			200,000 GC, Free 2 SC + 20 Free SpinsBonus	Play Now			Instant Redemptions for US Players Superb range of live dealer games! Over 950 casino-style games		Read Chanced Review
9			Up to 575,000 Gold Coins + 105 SC Free + 1000 VIP PointsBonus	Play Now			Get 5,000 Coins free every day Start earning VIP points from sign up Play your way with 24/7 support		Read RealPrize Review
10			5,000 Gold Coins, 0.98 SC + 3 Treasure ChestsBonus	Play Now			Exclusive Promo Code - CORGBONUS Accepting cryptocurrency 100% Cutting-edge games		Read LuckyBird.io Review

See over 90 Casino Reviews

California casinos to avoid

We rate and review many California online casinos, but sometimes we find sites well below our standards. This might be due to payment issues, poor customer service, or a glitchy game experience. If a site isn't up to scratch we'll add it to our list of casinos to avoid.

Expert Rating

1.5/10

Why you should avoid

• Unprofessional customer support
• Site operators linked to questionable practices
• Not paid players their winnings

Expert Rating

1.2/10

Why you should avoid

• Reports of players not receiving winnings
• Misleading claims of licensing
• Unresponsive to customer complaints

Expert Rating

1.5/10

Why you should avoid

• 18+ months for withdrawal
• Locked-out accounts
• Slow response times

The best online casinos in California

The online sports betting landscape may be changing soon, but there’s still a way to go with online casino gambling. Although online real money gambling in California isn’t legal, there are plenty of social and sweepstake casinos you can play at for free. Designed to replicate the online casino experience, these free-to-play sites offer hundreds of world-class slots. Find our top picks below:

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  WOW Vegas

  WOW Vegas is a big name in social gaming. This California online casino has over 330 unique slot games to play, most of which come from top developers like Pragmatic Play and Betsoft. Players love WOW Vegas for its impressive range of promotions for new and existing players alike. When it comes to social online gambling in California, it's hard to beat Wow Vegas.

  Read our full WOW Vegas casino review.

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  Pulsz Casino

  Pulsz offers over 300 Vegas-style games completely free to CA bettors, including slots and jackpots from industry-leading providers. As well as boasting a generous 367k free Gold Coins and 32.3 Sweeps Coins welcome bonus, this social casino is one of the few places you can enjoy poker and roulette in the Golden State.

  Read our full Pulsz casino review.

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  High 5 Casino

  You’ll soon see why High 5 Casino is one of California’s most popular sweepstake casinos, with its efficient customer support center, flexible banking options, and exciting daily rewards. High 5 uses its own currency system, comprising Game Coins (GCs), Sweeps Coins (SCs), and Diamonds. You can exchange SCs for real-life prizes and rewards. Golden State players can also access High 5’s intuitive mobile capabilities and native app.

  Read our full High 5 review.

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  McLuck

  If you’re looking for fun and free entertainment in the Golden State, McLuck Sweepstakes Casino has your back. Californian players are invited to enjoy hundreds of vibrant slots, Unlimited Play and Exclusive GC (Gold Coin) Games, and tons of awesome promotions from the native McLuck Casino mobile app. You can accumulate even more Gold Coins by logging in daily and participating in Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter promos.

  Read our full McLuck casino review.

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  Stake Casino

  California residents interested in cryptocurrency can purchase coins on the Stake sweepstake casino using their preferred crypto platform. Since 2017, Stake has been providing its crypto-exclusive social casino to customers in the US. You can also play a collection of casino-style games only available on this social casino. Winning slots and other games allow you to collect Stake Cash prizes.

  Read our full Stake Casino review.

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  Fortune Coins

  Progressive jackpots are enormous in the US, as you play with the knowledge that any spin could trigger a huge jackpot. Fortune Coins does one better and applies a six- or seven-figure virtual jackpot to every one of its online slots! Register a new account and use your 20m Gold Coins welcome bonus to set the reels spinning on a variety of slots, keno, and table games. If this massive bonus doesn’t satisfy your appetite, you can buy more Gold Coins using a range of secure deposit options.

  Read our full Fortune Coins casino review.

• 

  BetRivers.net

  BetRivers.Net is another 'play for fun' site that offers over 200 free online casino games. This California online casino offers both slots and table games from top developers like NetEnt and Red Tiger. Players like the site for its authentic casino-like gaming experience and that all games are fully optimized for mobile play.

  Read our full BetRivers.Net casino review.

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  Gambino Slots

  Gambino Slots is one of the best slot casinos in California, offering an awesome registration bonus of 100,000 free coins and 200 free spins. You can wager your virtual currency on various exciting slots and claim a daily spin on the Bonus Wheel. The casino even offers an exclusive VIP program for its top wagerers and compatible iOS and Android apps for gambling on the go.

  Read our full Gambino Slots casino review.

• 

  Luckybird.io

  California players interested in cryptocurrency can purchase virtual currency, play exclusive slots games and win crypto-shaped prizes at LuckyBird.io. There are plenty of other opportunities to pick up free coins, like the daily login bonus, the faucet feature, treasure chests, and the lucrative LuckyBird VIP program. Sign up today to grab your free virtual currency welcome offer right now.

  Read our full LuckyBird.io Casino review.

• 

  Golden Hearts Games

  Golden Hearts Games has a one-of-a-kind model where players donate to their favorite charities to claim free game coins. No other social casino has this feature, allowing you to make a difference as you play casino games. While the list of slots is small, every game is exclusive and comes with a prize pot of $2,500. What Golden Hearts is really about is its selection of online bingo games, with around 4-5 games every hour.

  Read our full Golden Heart Games review.

What is the law on online gambling in California?

Online gambling for real money is currently not legal in California, and neither is online sports betting. However, it is legal to play at social and sweepstakes casinos which offer casino-style games for free. There have been motions to legalize online gambling and sports betting, but these have been strongly voted against so we’ll unlikely see any big changes soon. Until attitudes shift, you can enjoy immersive land-based casino gambling in one of the state’s 65 tribal casinos.

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  18+ at tribal casinos

  California’s gambling age is 18 for pari-mutuel horse wagering, the state lottery, and bingo games. However, while you can legally wager at a local casino from 18 onwards, many casinos ban anyone under 21 from entering the premises.

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  Tax on winnings

  Excluding the California Lottery, all gambling winnings are taxable in the Golden State. All earnings under $5,000 are subject to a flat 24% tax. You’ll need to report anything above this threshold or any winnings over 300x your original bet on a W4 tax withholding form. You’ll need to register your winnings on an IRS Form 1040 and any itemized losses.

How we rate the best California online casinos

Our team ensures we provide unbiased, consistent casino ratings by following a 25-step review process. It covers all the key categories you’d expect to give a well-rounded rating of California online casinos. Read a more in-depth breakdown below.

• Safety and security

  We hold very high standards when it comes to safety and security. Although the social and sweepstakes casinos available in California don’t need licenses from state-approved bodies, they can be regulated by customer protection groups and external testing agencies like eCOGRA. We also look for up-to-date SSL encryption software to keep your personal data safe. This is important as you can still use your money to purchase coin packages.

• Games and software

  Although quantity doesn’t always mean quality, we do look for casinos with over 500 games on offer. We know the importance of choice to our players and so it’s good to see a mixture of game types. As online gambling isn’t legal in CA, these are casino-style, so we like a mix of games inspired by slots, table games, and bingo.

• Casino bonuses

  Even though you’re playing games for free at CA online casinos, you can still secure exciting promotions and bonuses. Typically, when you sign-up at a social or sweepstakes casino, you’ll get a welcome bonus made up of gold coins and sweeps coins. This varies per casino, but we look for offers of around 100,000 gold coins or more with a few of the more valuable sweeps coins thrown in too.

• Banking options

  Although you can play completely for free at social casinos, should you wish to purchase coins, you’ll need good payment options. We look for at least 10 accepted banking options, and they should include popular options like debit cards, PayPal, eWallets, and increasingly cryptocurrencies. It’s also important that you can use a wide variety of both deposits and withdrawals, as some casinos limit your withdrawal options.

  We’re impressed with instant and fast withdrawals under 24 hours and low minimum deposits from $5 or $10.

• Casino app and mobile play

  We know so many players choose to enjoy online casinos from their phones, so we are very critical of the mobile play and app options available. The best casinos offer a high-quality app with at least 90% of the games available on the desktop version. If they do offer an app, we also look for it to be available to both iOS and Android players. Where there

• Customer support

  As in all areas of entertainment, good customer service is highly important. Online casinos should cater to players by offering a range of different ways they can get in touch with any queries or feedback. The best casinos offer a responsive 24/7 option like a helpline or live chat support with a casino advisor. We look for email support, social media accounts, and at the very least a robust set of FAQs. Forums are another helpful way casinos can offer advice, by allowing other players to give their perspectives too. One thing’s for sure, and that’s that good casinos are easy to get in touch with.

Which online casino games are available in California?

Whether you prefer spinning the reels or bluffing your hand, you can find a great variety of free casino games at social casinos in California.

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  Slots

  Immersive graphics and innovative features make online slot machines one of the most entertaining casino games around. Game developers are constantly releasing new slots in a variety of themes, so there are thousands to choose from. You can select your game based on its variance and RTP (Return to Player) percentage, making them one of the most versatile games for players of all budgets.

• 

  Blackjack

  Blackjack has the highest RTP percentage of any casino game (aside from craps), which makes it hugely popular among US bettors. The premise is simple: beat the dealer to 21 without going bust. Its simple rules, high RTP, and wide betting limits make it a staple of California casinos.

• 

  Roulette

  The ultimate game of chance, roulette is available at almost every online casino in the US. Many tribal casinos offer ‘California Roulette’ as a legal option, which uses a deck of cards instead of a ball and wheel. If you’d rather play the classic game, you can do so at social casino sites, as they are not regulated by the California Gambling Control Commission.

• 

  Poker

  Being the birthplace of the casino classic Texas Hold’em, it’s hardly surprising that online poker has quickly grown into one of the most popular casino games in the US. However, playing online poker in California is not yet legal. Until it is, you can practice your poker face at free-to-play California online poker sites like the WSOP social poker casino.

• 

  Video poker

  What happens when you combine the decision-making skill of online poker with the fast-paced randomness of slot machines? You get video poker. Plenty of social casinos offer video poker games, which are a great beginner-friendly alternative to online poker.

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  Live dealer games

  While not as common as free-to-play slots, some social casino sites offer free live casino games. These games are streamed live in HD from studios worldwide and help recreate the atmosphere of a brick-and-mortar casino from the comfort of your own home.

• 

  Online sports betting

  All eyes are on California as two CA sports betting bills make their way to the ballot. If either one succeeds, Golden State bettors will be able to wager on the Lakers, the Dodgers, the Giants, and the 49ers by as early as 2023. Whether it’s retail or mobile betting that passes the vote, bettors will be able to wager on a wide variety of markets and bet types.

• 

  Daily Fantasy Sports

  While the Californian government doesn’t regulate Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) sites, they aren’t explicitly banned or illegal. Bettors in the state can therefore access all of the top DFS sites available online, including FanDuel and DraftKings.

• 

  State lotteries & bingo

  The state lottery is one of the few legal betting options in California. Available to anyone over the age of 18, you can only buy lottery tickets in person at official lottery retailers. While the Golden State is known for having some of the highest tax rates in the US, any winnings generated from the state lottery are tax-free.

Most popular casino payment methods

Play at the best online casinos in California to ensure you get the most popular US payment options. Although social and sweeps casinos aren’t playing for real money, you can purchase coins, and in some instances, you can win cash prizes. Here are some of the top deposit and withdrawal options we look for at California casinos.

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  Visa

  Visa is a global leader in banking with years of experience with debit cards and online payments. You can trust that deposits are efficient and stable when you use Visa.

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  Mastercard

  Mastercard is a familiar bank for many US players with credit and debit cards through the banking giant. You can trust them for secure payments and excellent customer support.

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  Skrill

  This digital wallet was designed with players in mind and is readily accepted at online casinos. Skrill is advertised for iGaming and betting use so the team is familiar with deposits and withdrawals.

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  Trustly

  Trustly is a popular payment method as it doesn’t require a card or an app. 12,500 banks support Trustly in over 33 countries, including the US, where you can use it at online casinos.

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  Apple Pay

  Apple Pay is one of the easiest and most familiar ways to deposit or withdraw at an online casino. It’s incredibly secure and easy to use, which makes sense from the tech giant.

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  Bitcoin

  If you’re familiar with cryptocurrencies, you’ll know about Bitcoin. This virtual currency is one the biggest and longest-standing in the market, and many casinos now accept this as a standard payment method.

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  Wire transfer

  Wire transfers are straightforward transactions that allow you to transfer funds using minimal information. They cut out the middle man and are typically processed on the same day.

Online casinos in California - key info

Local casinos in California

Despite its lack of online gambling options, California has plenty of land-based options. We’ve selected our top picks from the 70 brick-and-mortar Indian casinos for you below:

Morongo Casino ResortThunder Valley Casino ResortYaamava Resort & CasinoPechanga Resort Casino

Enjoy daily promotions, high-limit gaming, and almost 4,000 slots at this SoCal gem. Alongside its 195-square-foot gaming space, Morongo Casino Resort offers a dedicated Football HQ where you can “play games while you watch games” all season long. With multiple dining and entertainment options to boot, Morongo is open round the clock for casino and sports bettors alike.

1. 1
   Address: 49500 Seminole Dr., Cabazon, California 92230
2. 2
   Contact: 1-800-252-4499 or 951-849-3080

Though the smallest of our selection, Thunder Valley Casino Resort is undoubtedly able to hold its own. Each of its 3,000+ slot machines are wired into the Thunder Strike Jackpot, where a single spin can trigger a generous payout of up to $150,000. Additionally, the casino boasts a world-class live music venue, a state-of-the-art spa, and a rewards program that gives you 5% back on everything you spend.

1. 1
   Address: 1200 Athens Avenue, Lincoln, CA 95648
2. 2
   Contact: 877-468-8777

This luxury resort is the largest in California, boasting more than 7,000 slots and 150+ table games. The 290,000-square-foot location also houses a live music venue, multiple bars and restaurants, and a luxury 17-floor hotel. Set against the backdrop of the San Bernardino Mountains, Yaamava boasts a panoramic views alongside an elite gambling experience.

1. 1
   Address: 777 San Manuel Blvd., Highland, CA 92346
2. 2
   Contact: 1-800-359-2464

Coming in at a close second for the largest casino on the West Coast, Pechanga Resort Casino is a 200,000-square-foot site with a lot to offer. Open 24/7, the casino has over 4,500 slots, a 700-seat bingo hall, multiple private gaming rooms, and an Off-Track Betting parlor. When you’re finished gaming, you can unwind at the spa, get a round of golf in, or fall into bed at the luxury hotel.

1. 1
   Address: 45000 Pechanga Parkway, Temecula, CA 92592
2. 2
   Contact: 1-888-PECHANGA

Gambling responsibly in California

Playing at online casinos is only ever supposed to be fun entertainment. If you or someone you love is struggling with addictive behaviors, there are plenty of resources in California to support you. You can find more general information in our responsible gambling hub or explore the options below.

Best sweepstakes promo codes CA

McLuck

Get off to a great start with our exclusive McLuck no deposit code!

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Pulsz

Use our Pulsz promo code to get a boosted Gold Coins and Sweep Coins offer.

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Stake.us

With a wide range of free sweeps games, you'll want to boost your bankroll with our top stake.us promo code.

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Online casino California FAQs

References