Sports Betting California | Latest on California Sportsbooks 2024

Despite having potentially one of the biggest sports betting industries in the U.S., California has not yet legalized betting on sports. Sports betting online in California is currently illegal under California Penal Code section 337a. The law’s reach is wide and covers online betting on all sports or games of skill. 

Still, that doesn't mean that we won't see any legal online sportsbooks arrive to the state at some point.

Whenever it does become legal, it’s likely that California will adopt regulations and restrictions similar to those of other legal sports betting states:

• Gamblers must be 21 or over
• Must have a valid ID
• Must have a valid Social Security Number (SSN)
• Must have geolocation tools enabled

Parimutuel horse racing betting sites are permitted in California. You can place pooled bets at racetracks in the Golden State and offtrack wagering facilities which accept bets.

Some Advance Deposit Wagering (ADW) websites also let you bet on parimutuel markets remotely. There are five tracks in California that offer betting on races. Wagering is regulated by the California Horse Racing Board.

In 2022, two propositions were added to the California state ballot: Prop 26 and Prop 27.

Prop 26 would have allowed in-person sports betting at California's 60+ tribal casinos, but no online sports wagering. Prop 27 would have allowed online sports betting to be run by tribal casinos and several national operators.

Both propositions failed, with 70% of voters rejecting Prop 26 and 83% rejecting Prop 27.

There are no new initiatives to legalize sports betting on the 2024 state ballot, as the latest efforts failed to gain support from tribal leaders. At this point, it wouldn't be until 2026 at the very earliest that online sports betting could be legalized in California.

Legal sports betting is expanding rapidly across the United States – could California be next? Regulated sports betting tends to move in groups of states at once. For example, Nevada, Arizona and Oregon all now have legal mobile sports betting. That leaves California isolated on the West Coast.

Gamblers living near the state borders in CA can easily cross into one of those neighboring states armed with their mobile phones and place bets. That means a lot of tax dollars are being missed by the State of California.

We predict that California sportsbooks will follow the model seen in other states like Nevada and Arizona. In-person registration won’t be necessary, although tribal casinos may require you to be on casino property when you place bets. If external operators are allowed access to the California sports betting market, it could mean legal mobile betting from anywhere in the state.  

California online betting sites could become a reality. Many of the top sportsbook operators are maneuvering to become the first to go live. Here’s who we expect to be at the front of the line when California online sports betting laws go live.

It’s no secret that DraftKings Sportsbook is keen to enter the new sports betting industry in California. DraftKings has been one of the national operators to back online sports betting initiatives in the state.

When DraftKings CA goes live, customers will have access to a choice of markets, a top-tier welcome DraftKings promo, and one of the best sportsbook rewards programs in town. Earn Dynasty Rewards points and redeem them for perks such as cash and bonus bets.

Sign up and claim a deposit match bonus when you fund your account for the first time.

Sports betting in California wouldn’t be complete without FanDuel Sportsbook. Like DraftKings, FanDuel is one of the biggest daily fantasy sports providers in the U.S. However, it also provides a successful online and mobile sportsbook in many regulated states.

FanDuel offers thousands of markets in all major U.S. sports, such as baseball, hockey, and tennis.

In addition to lucrative welcome FanDuel promo, you can take advantage of lots of special offers throughout the season. Cash out before the game finishes, earn regular bonus bets and refer a friend to earn bonus cash. 

It's no wonder FanDuel will be set up as one of the top California sportsbooks.

The MGM brand needs no introduction; BetMGM Sportsbook is the jewel in the crown of its parent company, Entain. 

BetMGM now operates an all-in-one sportsbook and casino product across multiple states. You’ll be able to enjoy a welcome BetMGM bonus code, second-chance bets and the fantastic MGM Rewards scheme.

BetMGM’s all-new mobile app also makes it a breeze to place bets through your smartphone. Enjoy enhanced odds on California teams and claim second-chance bets throughout the year. 

BetMGM will certainly be one of the best online California betting sites when it goes live.

Caesars has made a strong entrance into the regulated online sports betting in the U.S. after their acquisition of William Hill. The Caesars Sportsbook app still uses William Hill software, but there is an added bonus: you will be able to enjoy the full range of Caesars Rewards promotions.

Start with a welcome Caesars Sportsbook promo code and move into the Caesars Rewards scheme, where you can redeem points at casinos across the U.S. But what about the sportsbook itself? 

Well, Caesars is primed to be one of the best California sports betting sites due to competitive odds and a slick new mobile app.

Sports betting in California will all be about ease of use, available markets and big bonuses. You’ll be able to get your money in and out safely and quickly while opting in to the latest odds boosts and loyalty deals.

Based on what other states accept as payment methods, these are the banking options you can expect in California:

• Visa
• Mastercard
• Online bank transfer
• Prepaid card
• PayPal
• PayNearMe
• Check
• VIP Preferred (ACH/e-Check)
• In-person deposit at retail sports betting outlet

You can deposit cash into your online sports betting account instantly. Open the cashier tab online or on your mobile and select one of your preferred payment methods. Enter the amount you want to deposit plus your account password.

California sports betting sites will allow cashouts as well as deposits. You may be restricted to a limited range of cash-out options, such as online banking and prepaid card. Typically, credit cards won’t be eligible for a withdrawal request.

You’ll have access to thousands of markets when sports betting in California. Bet on your favorite sports from football and baseball to hockey and college sports. You can even enjoy UFC betting on the big fights.

DraftKings DFS is the industry leader in daily fantasy sports and offers big-money contests to players across the state. DraftKings is also eyeing up legal sports betting when California finally goes live. You can form fantasy teams on everything from football to basketball and even enter paid contests covering eSports.

DraftKings offers a range of different fantasy games, from the Classic Salary Cap where you can win big cash prizes to Head-to-Heads. Take on a pal in a one-on-one test of your fantasy sports picking skills. DraftKings will also match you up with a player of a similar level so you aren’t completely outmatched in a contest.

Together with DraftKings, FanDuel DFS is one of the biggest DFS providers in the United States. FanDuel offers an interesting mix of weekly drafts and daily drafts across sports such as football and baseball. You can also take advantage of big welcome bonuses when you sign up. 

Like DraftKings, FanDuel offers beginner and intermediate contests so you don’t have to butt up against an expert. New players can also take advantage of Live Snake Drafts. You take turns drafting a team with fellow competitors with the pick order reversed to make it totally fair. Snake Drafts are available for multiple sports such as baseball, football and basketball.

Monkey Knife Fight DFS operates in dozens of US states, including California. They have won numerous awards for their DFS output, particularly where amateur fantasy sports players are concerned.

Monkey Knife Fight offers a host of easy-to-play fantasy contests such as More or Less where you simply go higher or lower on a player’s point spread. You can also enter special 2nd Half contests on selected sports.

As with other DFS operators like FanDuel and DraftKings, Monkey Knife Fight makes it easy to avoid playing against pros. Plus, you can take advantage of having no salary caps on many contests.

WinView is a new prediction-based fantasy sports site that’s shaking up the way fantasy sports are played. With WinView you make predictions on events taking place during televised games. For example, you make simply ‘Yes/No’ predictions on props during a game (e.g. ‘Will the next batter score a home run?’). You have a shot at sharing prize cash if you guess correctly.

WinView offers free and paid fantasy contests for most televised sports. You can also win cash by answering five pregame props before the action begins. In addition, WinView offers a range of ongoing promotions such as $25 bonus rolls to $1,000 tournaments.