Legalized Gambling In California

Posted on  by admin

California has attempted to legalize online gambling in the state multiple times. California has legalized daily fantasy sports, however, DFS has the distinction of not being classified as online betting. Despite some progress on the issue, the attempts to legalize online sports betting hasn’t become reality. The minimum gambling age for gambling in California is technically 18, though almost all tribal casinos require that players are above the age of 21 years old. Are offshore bookmaker sites legal and safe? The only way players can be sure that they are betting at a safe website is if it is licensed in the jurisdiction they are playing in. California's state legislature legalized gambling in several forms but has not approved of state-regulated online gambling. California residents can play the lottery, bet on horse races, gamble at tribal casinos (Class II and Class III), play poker and bingo, and access licensed offshore online gambling sites.

Legislative Analyst's Office, January 1998

Introduction

Gambling in the United States is a multibillion dollar industry and is rapidly expanding. Consumer spending on gambling activities nationwide has outpaced the growth in personal income over the past 14 years. Additionally, consumers have made a dramatic shift in the types of gambling activities they are participating in, with wagering on charitable games and horse races declining significantly. In this report, we outline the nationwide gambling industry, and discuss in more detail what is occurring in the California gambling industry. The California gambling industry includes the state lottery, card rooms, horse race wagering, charitable gambling, and gambling on Indian lands. With regard to gambling on Indian lands, we recommend the Legislature clarify the state's role in this area.

Table of Contents

GAMBLING IN THE UNITED STATES
  • What Kind of Gambling Is Allowed?
  • Size of the Gambling Industry
  • Indian Gambling
  • Lottery
  • Card Rooms
  • Horse Racing
  • Charitable Gambling
  • Indian Gambling



Gambling in the United States

What Kind of Gambling Is Allowed?

Size of the Gambling Industry

Figure 2
Gross Gambling Revenues by Industry Segment
United States 1982 and 1996
(In Billions)
19821996
Amount Percent of TotalAmountPercent of Total
Casinos$4.240.0%$17.536.7%
Lotteries2.221.016.234.0
Horse Racing2.221.03.26.7
Charitable1.213.02.45.0
Card Rooms0.11.00.71.5
Other 0.66.02.34.8
Indian----5.411.3
Totals$10.5100.0%$47.7100.0%

Indian Gambling

Gambling in California

Lottery

Legalized Gambling In California
Figure 6
California State Lottery Games
As of December 1997
Super Lotto
Scratchers
Fantasy 5
Daily 3
Hot Spot
Big SpinTelevision Show

Card Rooms

Figure 7
Location and Size of California Card Rooms by County
(As of October 1997)
Number of
CountyCard RoomsTablesRange of Number of Tables Per Card Room
Alameda5592-40
Butte4123
Colusa144
Contra Costa121451-100
Fresno4331-25
Humboldt392-4
Imperial393
Kern10501-15
Kings372-3
Lake 133
Lassen122
Los Angeles691444-300
Madera122
Marin144
Merced5101-3
Mono133
Monterey11382-7
Napa2175-12
Nevada263
Placer231-2
Riverside3442-39
Sacramento16863-10
San Benito122
San Bernardino12525
San Diego9641-25
San Joaquin7303-8
San Luis Obispo7162-3
San Mateo3483-35
Santa Clara6981-40
Santa Cruz8161-3
Santa Barbara144
Shasta2204-16
Sierra111
Solano252-3
Sonoma4211-12
Stanislaus5223-6
Tulare13241-3
Tuolumne122
Ventura4142-6
Yolo122
Yuba391-4
Totals1761,883

Horse Racing

Figure 10
1996 California Horse Race Meetings
and Total Parimutuel Handle
(Dollars in Millions)
Track City (County)Meet Dates Handlea
Thoroughbred Race Meetings
Santa Anita Park Arcadia (Los Angeles)12/26/95-04/22/96 $820.6
Hollywood Park Inglewood (Los Angeles)04/26/96-07/22/96 589.3
Del MarDel Mar (San Diego)07/24/96-09/11/96425.7
Golden Gate FieldsAlbany (Contra Costa)03/27/96-12/22/96323.3
Bay MeadowsSan Mateo (San Mateo)01/24/96-11/04/96 305.7
Quarter Horse Race Meetings
Los AlamitosCypress (Los Angeles)04/19/96-12/22/96$169.1
Harness Race Meetings
Los Alamitos Cypress (Los Angeles) 12/22/95-04/07/96$56.0
Cal ExpoSacramento (Sacramento)04/12/96-07/21/96 28.5
Los Angeles County FairPomona (Los Angeles)09/12/96-09/30/96$92.9
Sonoma County FairSanta Rosa (Sonoma)07/24/96-08/05/9630.9
Alameda County FairPleasanton (Alameda)06/26/96-07/07/9629.9
San Mateo County FairBay Meadows Track (San Mateo)08/07/96-08/19/9628.4
Solano County FairVallejo (Solano)07/10/96-07/22/9625.4
California State FairSacramento (Sacramento)08/21/96-09/02/9617.8
San Joaquin County FairStockton (San Joaquin)06/12/96-06/23/9612.5
Fresno District FairFresno (Fresno)10/02/96-10/13/966.7
Humboldt County FairFerndale (Humboldt)08/08/96-08/18/961.6
aHandle as defined on page 2.

Charitable Gambling

Indian Gambling

Figure 12
Indian Gambling Operations in California
As of July 1997
CountyFacility NameCity Owner/Operator
AmadorJackson Indian Bingo and CasinoJacksonJackson Rancheria Band of Miwuk Indians
ButteFeather Falls CasinoOrovilleMooretown Rancheria
Gold Country CasinoOrovilleTyme Maidu Tribe of the Berry Creek Rancheria
ColusaColusa Indian BingoColusaColusa Band of Wintun Indians
Del Norte Golden Bear CasinoKlammathCoast Indian Community of the Resighini Rancheria
Elk Valley CasinoCrescent CityElk Valley Rancheria
Lucky 7 CasinoSmith RiverSmith River Rancheria
FresnoMono Wind CasinoAuberryAuberry Big Sandy Rancheria
Table Mountain Rancheria Casino and BingoFriantTable Mountain Rancheria
HumboldtHoopaLucky Bear Casino and BingoHoopa Valley Tribe
Cher-Ae Heights Bingo and CasinoTrinidadTrinidad Rancheria
ImperialParadise CasinoWinterhavenQuechan Indian Tribe
InyoSierra Spring CasinoBig PineBig Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley
Konocti Vista Casino and BingoFinleyBig Valley Rancheria of Pomo Indians
Paiute Palace Casino--Bishop Paiute Tribe
KingsThe Palace Indian Gaming CenterLemooreSanta Rosa Band of Tachi Indians of the Santa Rosa Rancheria
LakeTwin Pines CasinoMiddletownLake Miwok Indian Nation of the Middletown Rancheria
Robinson Rancheria Bingo and CasinoNiceRobinson Rancheria of Pomo Indians
LassenNorthern Lights CasinoSusanvilleSusanville Indian Rancheria
MendocinoRed Fox Casino and BingoLaytonvilleCahto Tribe of the Laytonville Rancheria
Shodaki Coyote Valley Casino--Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians
Hopland Sho-ka-wah CasinoHoplandHopland Band of Pomo Indians
Black Hart Casino--Sherwood Valley Rancheria
RiversideSpa Hotel and CasinoPalm SpringsAgua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians
Cabazon Bingo Inc., Fantasy Springs CasinoIndioCabazon Band of Mission Indians
Cahuilla Creek Rest and Casino--Cahuilla Band of Mission Indians
Casino MorongoCabazonMorongo Band of Mission Indians
Soboba Legends CasinoSan JacintoSoboba Band of Mission Indians
Pechanga Entertainment CenterTemeculaTemecula Band of Luiseno Mission Indians
Spotlight 29 CasinoCoachellaTwenty Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians
San BernardinoHavasu Landing Resort and CasinoHavasuChemehuevi Indian Tribe
San Manuel Indian Bingo and CasinoHighlandSan Manuel Band of Mission Indians
San DiegoBarona Casino and BingoLakesideBarona Band of Mission Indians
Sycuan Indian Bingo and Poker CasinoEl CajonSycuan Band of Mission Indians
Viejas Casino and Turf ClubAlpineViejas Band of Mission Indians
Santa BarbaraChumash CasinoSanta YnezSanta Ynez Band of Mission Indians
ShastaBurney CasinoBurneyPit River Tribe
Win-River Casino BingoReddingRedding Rancheria
TulareEagle Mountain Casino--Tule River Tribe of the Tule River Indian Reservation
TuolumneChicken Ranch BingoJamestownChicken Ranch Band of Me-Wuk Indians
YoloCache Creek Bingo and CasinoBrooksRumsey Indian Rancheria
Source: National Indian Gaming Commission.
AcknowledgmentsThis report was prepared by Megan M. Atkinson, under the supervision of Gerald Beavers. The Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) is a nonpartisan office which provides fiscal and policy information and advice to the Legislature. Publications
To request publications call (916) 445-2375.
This report and others are available on the LAO's World Wide Web site at http:// www.lao.ca.gov.
The LAO is located at 925 L Street, Suite 1000, Sacramento, CA 95814.

Legalized Sports Gambling In California