California Sports Betting

Sports betting remains illegal in California despite years of efforts.

Voters rejected two legalization measures in November 2022, and continuous infighting among California’s biggest gambling interests have stalled all progress.

Current California online betting options consist of daily fantasy sports contests, prediction market apps, and horse racing betting sites. However, prediction markets and daily fantasy sports apps face increasing legal pressure, and their future in California is uncertain.

Read on for more about the best California betting apps that are still available today and the latest legal developments that may affect where residents can bet online.

By Wes Burns, Steve Ruddock Hours Updated
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The above betting sites accept customers from California, but the state does not license them as sportsbooks. Availability does not guarantee compliance with state law. See the discussion below for the full legal context of where these apps stand today.

California Sports Betting Outlook

In all likelihood, the next major push to legalize sports betting in California will occur in 2028 at the earliest.

In multiple appearances, California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA) Chair James Siva has named 2028 as the target for tribal operators’ next ballot initiative. Unlike past tribal efforts that focused exclusively on legalizing retail sportsbooks, the next initiative will encompass both in-person and online sports betting in California.

The rise of prediction market apps like Kalshi and Polymarket may have marked the tipping point that convinced tribal operators to also support online sports betting. In a July 2026 Q&A with Tribal Business News, Siva called prediction markets “the biggest threat we’ve seen since the beginning of this industry” and estimated that they have already reduced tribal gaming revenue by 5% nationwide.

According to Siva, legalizing online sportsbooks in California under a tribe-controlled model would enable them to “start cutting [prediction markets’] legs out from under them.”

Tribal casino operators are California’s most powerful political force, but even they face an uphill battle in legalizing online sports betting. If their next California sports betting effort is to succeed, the tribes will have to figure out how to:

  • Form a consensus among the state’s 100+ tribes. Multiple tribal leaders have stated that any measure must secure the support of all tribes, including non-gaming tribes.
  • Win voter approval. The tribes are continually polling Californians and have committed to securing a measurable level of support before launching their next initiative. Both of 2022’s sports betting measures (one backed by the tribes, and one backed by commercial operators) lost by more than 30 points.

California Online Sports Betting Alternatives

Realistically, it will be at least several years before legal online sportsbooks come to California. In the meantime, these are the next-closest alternatives:

  • Sports Prediction Markets: Major prediction market apps like Kalshi and Polymarket operate in California. They offer yes/no contracts on a broad range of sports outcomes, ranging from game winners and season champions to player props and combos. However, their legal status is contested in California (more on that below).
  • Fantasy Pick’em Apps: Fantasy pick’em apps allow users to select higher or lower on athlete stat projections for real-money payouts. The Attorney General considers paid contests illegal but has not moved against them, and all major apps remain available in California.
  • Online Horse Racing Betting: Horse racing betting sites are legal, licensed, and regulated in California.

California Sports Betting Landscape

The stakes are high for the California sports betting market, which will likely be the largest in the country if lawmakers pass sensible legislation. With 39 million residents, California is nearly twice the size of New York, the current leader in sports betting handle.

The massive economic potential a legal California sports betting market presents is also the problem. Every stakeholder wants a share large enough to justify a nine-figure campaign, and none have been willing to accept less.

Proponents have introduced numerous bills and ballot measures to authorize California betting apps and retail sportsbooks, but competing interests have sidelined them all.

Even so, industry observers are confident California will legalize sports betting at some point:

  • California already has a pro-gambling culture
  • The state already has legal casinos and card rooms
  • It is home to many Indian tribes with extensive gaming experience
  • California has a spending problem, and the potential tax revenues must surely be tempting for state lawmakers

On the other hand, California is a uniquely complicated state for legalization efforts. The primary obstacle to a quick resolution is a lack of trust between the state’s three largest potential beneficiaries.

California’s Competing Interests

California’s tribal casino operators are one of the state’s most influential political forces. They have the exclusive right to offer Class III gaming under compacts with the state, and their casinos generate billions of dollars in economic activity,

Furthermore, the tribes insist on having significant control over any future California sports betting market. After years of opposing online sports betting over concerns that it would harm casino visitation, tribal leaders now say their next initiative will include online sports betting on the condition that the tribes control it.

However, commercial cardrooms and established sportsbook brands want to ensure a level playing field in any future California online sports betting market, and both maintain adversarial relationships with the tribes.

Commercial cardrooms and tribal operators have fought for years over cardrooms’ insistence on offering player-banked variations of Class III games, which tribes argue violate their exclusivity rights.

At the same time, commercial sportsbook brands have clashed with the tribes over multiple issues. The tribes vehemently oppose sportsbook brands’ fantasy pick’em contests and prediction markets, which the tribes contend are just sports betting under another name.

They have also clashed over how to legalize online sports betting, even to the point of both sides each spending hundreds of millions on competing ballot measures that voters overwhelmingly rejected in 2022.

To further complicate the issue, legalizing sports betting in California will require an amendment to the state constitution. Such an amendment must receive the approval of most voters in a statewide referendum, which can only occur during election years.

The latest California online sports betting efforts emerged in October 2023 via two ballot initiatives that would ask voters to authorize tribes to operate retail sportsbooks and online sports betting apps in partnership with experienced operators:

The two initiatives mirrored one another, but one of them also included a regulatory framework. It was unclear why their proponents introduced them as two separate measures. It was also unclear why the proponents introduced the initiatives in the first place because, despite labeling them as "Tribal Gaming Protection" measures, they lacked tribal support.

In a statement, the California Nations Indian Gaming Association said it was "deeply disappointed" in the proposals' sponsors for not consulting with the the tribes before filing the ballot petition.

In part, the statement reads:

"Decisions driving the future of tribal government should be made by tribal governments. While the sponsors of these initiatives may believe they know what is best for tribes, we encourage them to engage with Indian Country and ask, rather than dictate."

Neither initiative secured the signatures necessary to appear on the November 2024 ballot.

California sports betting proponents introduced four ballot measures in 2021 to legalize retail sportsbooks, online betting sites, or both.

Two of the measures failed to gather enough signatures to appear on the November 2022 ballot, two made the cut and went before the voters.

Voters overwhelmingly rejected both measures despite tribal gaming groups and commercial sportsbook operators raising nearly half a billion dollars in campaign funds and flooding California with ads.

A combination of voter apathy and confusing ads likely contributed to the dismal results for both measures. Additionally, a UC Berkley poll found that voters who saw more ads tended to support the measures less – potentially pointing to advertising fatigue.

Despite their disastrous outcomes, the initiatives provide a useful look at how California’s biggest gaming stakeholders wish to shape California sports betting.

  • Prop 26: A coalition of tribal gaming operators gathered enough signatures to put Prop 26 on the November 2022 ballot. The initiative sought to legalize retail sportsbooks at tribal casinos and four race tracks but prohibited online sports betting in California. Voters rejected the measure, with about 70% voting no and 30% voting yes.
  • Prop 27: A group of commercial operators introduced Prop 27 to authorize retail sportsbooks and sports betting apps in California. Despite having the support of BetMGM, WynnBET, DraftKings, FanDuel, Bally’s Corporation, Penn National Gaming, and Fanatics, the initiative failed by a vote of roughly 83% no and 17% yes.
  • Third Proposal: Another ballot initiative sought to establish a competitive California sports betting market by allowing tribal casinos, race tracks, cardrooms, and professional teams to apply for licenses to operate retail sportsbooks and mobile betting apps. The measure failed to collect enough signatures by the statutory deadline and did not appear on the ballot as a result.
  • Fourth Proposal: A handful of tribal casino operators proposed an initiative to grant themselves control over sports betting in California while blocking race tracks, card rooms, and sports teams from participating. If approved and implemented, the proposal would have restricted retail sportsbooks to tribal casinos and required all mobile wagers to route through servers on their land. However, the tribes withdrew the provision before collecting enough signatures to appear on the ballot.

A 2020 attempt to legalize retail sportsbooks and online sports betting in California exemplifies the difficulties the state faces.

SCA 6, introduced by Senator Bill Dodd in 2019 and carried over into 2020, sought to strike a compromise between tribal casinos, race tracks, and cardrooms by proposing three specific changes to the CA gaming landscape:

  • Allow tribal casinos and race tracks to operate retail sportsbooks and mobile betting platforms
  • Allow tribal casinos to offer roulette and dice games such as craps that are currently restricted
  • Allow cardrooms to continue offering player-banked card games

As Ryan Butler noted for BettingUSA, race tracks, cardrooms, and even California's professional sports teams supported the bill, but tribal gaming operators strongly opposed it.

In a May 2020 statement, California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA) Chairman James Siva said CNIGA "vehemently" opposes authorizing cardrooms to continue offering player-banked games.

The statement read in part:

While we appreciate Senator Dodd's attempt to address sports wagering, we are vehemently opposed to including an expansion of gaming to a segment of the gaming industry that has proved, for decades, to be unwilling to follow the rules and regulations that guarantee a fair and safe gambling environment, and that comply with federal laws designed to stop money laundering.

We urge Senator Dodd to remove the provisions relating to California Cardrooms until that industry exhibits consistent behavior that proves that they are both willing and able to operate within the confines of the laws and regulations that currently exist.

Senator Dodd pulled the bill in June 2020 in the face of strong opposition among tribes, some law enforcement agencies, and some cities with ties to tribal casinos.

California Daily Fantasy Sports

Daily fantasy sports sites operate in a legal grey area in California because state law does not address their legality.

In July 2025, California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued an opinion that daily fantasy sports are illegal in California, but the nonbinding opinion did not change state law.

However, a federal judge has since scheduled a trial to decide whether DraftKings (and other DFS operators by extension) can continue offering daily fantasy sports contests in California.

All major DFS platforms remain active and available in California today, but their future availability now hinges on the outcome of the DraftKings trial.

Lawmakers once considered a bill to regulate fantasy sports apps, but it failed under intense opposition from anti-gambling advocates and tribal casino operators.

California Prediction Markets

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Prediction markets are currently available to users in California, even if the tribes and some casino interests would like to change that.

Multiple California tribes sued Kalshi and Robinhood in July 2025. A federal judge denied the tribes’ preliminary injunction request in November 2025, but the case remains active. In March 2026, Kalshi and Robinhood moved to dismiss the lawsuit.

California Horse Racing Betting

California is home to a large horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering industry consisting of high-profile race tracks, OTB locations, and legal online betting.

Fans 18 and older can bet on horse races from anywhere within state lines via licensed horse racing betting sites or catch some of the nation's most prestigious thoroughbred races live at storied tracks like Los Alamitos and Del Mar.

See BettingUSA's California horse racing betting guide for recommended racebooks, race track information, and OTB locations:

California Online Gambling Sites

Online casinos and poker sites are not legal in California, and the legislature banned sweepstakes gambling in 2025.

CA Penal Code § 330 outlaws all gambling that is not explicitly authorized by the state and conducted by licensed operators. Organizers and participants caught participating in unlawful gambling face a fine of $100 to $1,000 and imprisonment in a county jail for up to six months.

Additional gambling laws and regulations in California specifically state it is illegal to participate in online gambling under current state law.

Although California would potentially be a highly profitable online gambling market, state lawmakers have made no attempts to pass legislation that would authorize online casinos.

The odds of legal online casinos coming to California any time soon appear low at this time.

Read more about the California online gambling market below:

Online poker is not yet legal in California.

The California Lottery does not directly sell tickets online or by mail. Third-party lottery courier app Jackpocket operated in California for a while, but it has since stopped serving the CA market.

For now, players may only buy California Lottery tickets in-person at authorized retailers.

Responsible Gambling in California

California maintains one of the most comprehensive problem gambling support networks in the United States, funded primarily through the Office of Problem Gambling (OPG) and the California Council on Problem Gambling (CCPG).

California Gambling Self-Exclusion

Because California has not yet legalized state-licensed online sportsbooks or casinos, self-exclusion is managed through separate programs for cardrooms and tribal casinos.

  • Statewide Cardroom Self-Exclusion: The California Department of Justice Bureau of Gambling Control administers a self-exclusion program that allows players to ban themselves from every licensed cardroom for terms of one year, five years, or a lifetime.
  • Tribal Casino Self-Exclusion: Tribal nations operate independently and maintain their own exclusion lists. To ban yourself from a tribal casino, you must contact its respective gaming commission directly.
  • Daily Fantasy Sports: Although not formally regulated by the state, DFS operators allow users to set voluntary limits or self-exclude through their individual account settings.
  • Online Resources: The CCPG maintains HowToExclude.org, a central hub that provides instructions and forms for various California-specific exclusion programs.

California Sports Betting FAQ

No, but California will likely join the ranks of states with legal sports betting sooner or later.

There’s no question that California’s lawmakers and industry stakeholders want sports betting. The one complicating issue is that the state’s most powerful interests have struggled to reach a consensus on how California should regulate sports betting and who should have a seat at the table.

The first California sports betting sites are likely still several years away from launching. After voters resoundingly rejected two sports betting measures in the November 2022 mid-term election, it is unlikely California will see significant progress before 2028.

Not yet. Tribal casinos and commercial cardrooms want the right to operate retail sportsbooks on their property, but state law must change before anyone can open a sportsbook in California.

Yes – but only for daily fantasy games. FanDuel will offer sports betting if California passes legislation authorizing online sportsbooks.

DraftKings Fantasy accepts California customers. Like FanDuel, DraftKings will offer sports betting if California legalizes mobile betting apps and websites.

Prediction markets, daily fantasy sports, and horse racing betting are the only two forms of online betting currently available in California.

In California, online horse bettors and daily fantasy sports participants must be at least 18 years old. If and when online sports betting in California is legalized, the minimum age will likely be 21+.

PrizePicks is currently available in California, and the popular DFS app serves as the closest alternative option to sports betting for CA residents.