Sports betting is still not legal in California despite several other states in the U.S. following through with legalization recently. There have been many efforts to make sports betting legal in California, but ultimately Californians haven’t supported pro-sports betting measures like we’ve seen in other states. However it should be noted that Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) contests with apps such as FanDuel are alive and well in California.
While there’s no reason to believe sports betting will be legalized in California anytime soon, this page will be updated when new initiatives are launched to legalize sports betting in the Golden State.
Is it legal to bet in california?
No. While there has been some traction to get sports betting legalized in California, those trying to legalize sports betting in the state seem to take two steps forward and one step back. For instance, either 2022 ballot initiatives (Props 26 & 27) would have legalized sports betting, but both failed to garner public support in the voting booth. More recently, this past summer, the California Tribal Sports Betting Initiative failed to collect enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot.
While Califnornian’s can’t bet on point spreads of 49ers and Rams games, Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) contests are currently available to sports fans in California hoping to collect winnings while watching their favorite players.
California Quick facts
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Launch Date: Not Legalized
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Legal Betting Age: N/A
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Online Sports Betting: No
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Online Casino Sites: No
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Online Poker Sites: No
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Best Available Sportsbook: N/A
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Regulatory Body: American Gaming Association
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Legal online sportsbooks: 0
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College Sports Betting: No
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Political or entertainment betting: No
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High School sports Betting: No
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Esports betting: No
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NFL Draft: No
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Remote registration: No
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Daily Fantasy Sports: Yes
Timeline of betting legislation & Latest news:
While there was some talk of California voters having a sports betting initiative on their ballot in November, that won’t be the case in 2024 after the California Tribal Sports Betting Initiative failed to gain enough signatures. Props 26 and 27 also failed to gain public support in 2022.
November 8, 2022
Props 26 & 27 fail at the ballot. Prop 27 fails with 82.28% of California voters voting “No” compared to only 17.72% of “Yes” votes. Also known as the “Legalize Sports Betting And Revenue For Homeless Prevention Fund Initiative,” Prop 27 would have allowed mobile sports wagering throughout the state. Prop 26 failed with 67% of voters saying “No” compared to just 33% saying, “Yes” to allowing sports betting in California.
october 27, 2023
Ryan Tyler Walz filed the Tribal Sports Betting Initiative, which would allow California voters to approve sports betting via a ballot initiative. With 874,641 required signatures, some in California were hopeful it would be successful.
january 2, 2024
The California Tribal Sports Betting Initiative was cleared for circulation as signatures were collected.
july 1, 2024
The California Tribal Sports Betting Initiative failed to submit the required signatures to put sports betting on California ballots.
How to start betting in california
Unfortunately, sports betting isn’t legal in California. Consider bookmarking this page and checking back here for updates because once sports betting is legalized in California, this section will walk you through how to get started placing your first wager. The Golden State does have dozens of tribal casinos and several card rooms, but you won’t be able to bet on sports there until legislation is passed in the state. Pari-Mutuel horse racing has been legal in California since 1933 and there is currently access to Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) games for California residents.
Daily Fantasy sports in california
While sports betting isn't legal in California, sports fans over 18 years old in the state can wager on Daily Fantasy Sports because, while there are no laws legalizing it, there are also no laws explicitly making it illegal. That means signing up with an operator like FanDuel gives you a chance to earn winnings while watching your favorite California teams in action.
Home Field Advantage
California boasts 13 different professional sports franchises, leaving sports fans in the Golden State spoiled with options. Even after losing the Raiders to Las Vegas and eventually losing the Oakland Athletics to the same city, California has plenty of sports fans from the beaches in southern California up to wine country just north of the Bay Area. Several of California's teams have been some of the best in their respective leagues.
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NFL - Los Angeles Chargers: Despite never winning a Super Bowl, the Chargers have historically produced some of the greatest players in NFL history. From Junior Seau to Philip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Antonio Gates, there is no shortage of Chargers jerseys in circulation. This is Jim Harbaugh’s first season in Los Angeles and he’s won everywhere he’s coached, so don’t be surprised if the Chargers are back in the playoffs before long.
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NFL - Los Angeles Rams: The Rams failed to make the playoffs from 2005 to 2013, but have been regulars in the postseason since then. Los Angeles has made the playoffs five out of the last seven seasons and they won the Super Bowl in the 2021-2022 season. This is the Rams first season without defensive icon Aaron Donald, but they still have plenty of firepower on offense with Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and Puka Nacua.
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NFL - San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers, who now technically play in Santa Clara, are one of the NFL’s proudest franchises with five Super Bowl titles. Unfortunately for fans in the bay area, the 49ers last Super Bowl win came way back in 1995 with Steve Young and Jerry Rice. Don’t feel too bad for the 49ers, though, as they’ve made it to four conference championships in the last five seasons.
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MLB - Oakland Athletics: The A’s had a nice run of three-consecutive playoff appearances from 2018-2020, but things have been pretty miserable since then. Oakland was historically bad during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, notching back-to-back 100+ loss efforts. There is reason for a little optimism for the A’s because they’ve already won more games in 2024, than they did in either of the two prior seasons.
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MLB - Los Angeles Dodgers: The Dodgers have made it to the postseason in each of the past 12 years and currently boast one of MLB’s most exciting rosters. Shohei Ohtani is an annual MVP candidate and his 2024 50/50 campaign puts him in his own tier of MLB talent. Mookie Betts, the 2018 American League MVP with Boston, helps make the Dodgers a team nobody wants to see in October. The Dodgers 2024 campaign has been successful, despite a ton of injuries.
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MLB - San Diego Padres: The Padres haven’t won the NL West since 2006, but they’ve found a way to remain relevant recently with playoff appearances in 2020 and 2022. The Padres have been home to some of MLB’s best players over the years including Tony Gwynn and Trevor Hoffman. In 2024, the Padres acquired several bullpen arms at the trade deadline and the reinforcements are working. Don’t be surprised if San Diego makes a deep postseason run in 2024.
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MLB - San Fransisco Giants: The Giants won World Series Championships in 2010, 2012, and 2014 thanks to guys like Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, and Aubrey Huff. The Giants have only made two trips to the postseason in the nine years since then. The Giants acquired Blake Snell, formerly of another California team (Padres), but it’s not moved the needle so far in San Francisco. The Giants will long be known for MLB greats Barry Bonds and Willie Mays who are two of the best to ever put on an MLB uniform.
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NHL - San Jose Sharks: From 1997 to 2019, the Sharks could be counted on for moneyline bets as they only missed the playoffs twice during that stretch. Since that time, however, the Sharks haven’t finished above .500, and last season was particularly rough with only 19 wins. As the only NorCal NHL team, the Sharks still have a loyal following in the bay area, despite recent struggles.
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NHL - Los Angeles Kings: The Kings have made the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, however they’ve also lost in the first round each time. Los Angeles won the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014 and have made the playoffs in 10 of the past 15 seasons. Coach Jim Hiller will be looking to prove he can get the Kings up over the hump this season.
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NBA - Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry will go down as one of the best shooters of all-time and fans in Northern California have been treated to some incredible moments thanks to “Steph.” The Warriors have won four NBA Championships in the last 10 years with their most recent crown coming during the 2021-2022 season. Last year, the Warriors finished 46-36 and they’ve not finished under .500 since the 2019-2020 campaign.
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NBA - Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers won the NBA Finals during the 2019-2020 season and have made the playoffs in three of the four seasons since then. LeBron James is of course the talk of Los Angeles and with the Lakers drafting his son Bronny James, you can be sure the Lakers will have plenty of nationally televised games next season. Los Angeles has produced some of the NBA’s greatest players of all-time including Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, and Magic Johnson.
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NBA - Los Angeles Clippers: While the Clippers don’t have the allure in Los Angeles that the Lakers do, they’ve had a really nice run lately and haven’t had a losing season since the 2010-2011 campaign. The Clippers made the playoffs the last two seasons thanks to Kawhi Leonard, but were bounced in the first round both times. Clippers coach Tyronn Lue is entering his fifth season in Los Angeles after taking over for Doc Rivers.
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NBA - Sacramento Kings: The Kings really struggled from 2006 to 2022 without a single winning season during that stretch. However, the past two seasons the Kings have given their fans in Northern California some reasons to be optimistic. Sacramento made the playoffs during the 2022-2023 campaign and last season they finished 46-36 under coach Mike Brown.
The California Council on Problem Gambling (CALPG) is an excellent resource for anyone in California who needs support with gambling related issues or anyone seeking treatment. CALPG’s website has information about California gambling counselors and residential treatment facilities and prominently features the national gambling hotline phone number: 1-800-GAMBLER.
