Online Sports Betting in California
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Welcome to safe and legal betting in California! Home to the capital of entertainment and known for its diverse landscapes, California is a sports athlete’s dream. Many famous athletes have vacation homes or permanently live in The Golden State, including LeBron James, Tiger Woods, and Tom Brady.
Unfortunately, legal betting is not available yet in California.
Popular sports in California
One of the most popular sports in CA is basketball. In the NBA, we see California represented by the Los Angeles Lakers, who have won 17 NBA championships! The Lakers have been home to some of the greatest players of all time, including Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
We can find another successful team from Cali in MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers have won six World Series championships and 24 National League pennants. In football, we see the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL) being one of the most popular teams in the state. California has also seen some action in the NHL with The Los Angeles Kings.
Still, the sport that is looking bright in California’s future is soccer. LA Galaxy saw a lot of investments in the last years, and it’s recently been home to some of the greatest players like David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Popular College Sports in California
California, being one of the largest states in the United States of America, is a host to a number of talented Division 1 collegiate programs. State universities represent a large majority of these programs, including:
- Berkeley (Golden Bears)
- Davis (Aggies)
- Irvine (Anteaters)
- Los Angeles (Bruins)
- Riverside (Highlanders)
- San Diego (Tritons)
- Santa Barbara (Gauchos)
Other prominent California-based college programs include the following:
- Fresno State (Bulldogs)
- Loyola Marymount (Lions)
- Pepperdine (Waves)
- Saint Mary’s (Gaels)
- San Diego (Toreros)
- San Diego State (Aztecs)
- San Jose State (Spartans)
- Stanford (Cardinal)
- USC (Trojans)
Bet on sports in California
No legal betting sites are currently available in California. We highly advise against betting on any sites available in CA, as these sites are not safe and legal. A legal site requires you to use a geolocation program to verify that you are in a legal state, which California is not. By playing on an illegal site, your personal and financial information may be used or sold to third parties. Your winnings may not be paid out, and there will be no consumer protection from the state. We highly advise only playing on legal and regulated sites for your safety.
By playing legally, tax revenues will directly go to the state communities to support education, infrastructure, and much more. If you are over 21 years old and can travel from California to place a sports bet, these are the closest legal states:
Nevada: In-person betting is legal. Mobile betting is also legal but requires registration in person.
Arizona: In-person betting is legal. Mobile betting is also legal.
Oregon: In-person betting is legal. Mobile betting is also legal.
Read here about California legalizing sports betting.
Responsible Gambling in California
If you are based in California and your gambling is out of control, you can call the National Problem Gambling Hotline at 1-800-522-4700. The call is anonymous, and the phone hotline is available 24/7/365. You can also text the number 1-800-522-4700 or enter the website chat here. Help is always possible from NCPG, even if you have played at an illegal site.
Want to learn more about online casinos and sports gambling? Follow our Online Gamblers Academy to learn how to have fun responsibly!
In California, it is legal to play in cardrooms, the California State Lottery, Indian casinos, parimutuel wagering on horse racing, and charitable gaming.
It can only happen if there are ballot options presented and Californians choose to legalize sports betting.
No, it is illegal to bet on sports online.
