- Northern California Casinos
- Southern California Casinos Reviews And Ratings
- Southern California Casino Resort
- Southern California Casino Reviews Tripadvisor
- Best Southern California Casino Resorts
Harrah’s Resort Review – Southern California Indian casinos are big business in the state of California, and these days enjoy a monopoly on casino gambling in the state. California is totally fine with allowing the game of poker to be licensed and regulated, but don’t allow casino games. This review will be for the casino only, as I did not dine at The Buffet or stay in the hotel portion. The floor plan of the casino is nice and spacious, with lot of new machines and a large non-smoking section. The reason I an not giving 5 stars is the casino has gotten rid of a lot of unique slot machine they had previously to this visit. Non-Stop Action. The Pechanga Resort and Casino has the largest casino floor in California totaling 188,000 sq ft. The casino features over 5,000 slot machines, 158 table games, a non-smoking poker room with 38 tables, and an ultra-modern, 700-seat bingo facility.
California is home to one of the most expansive casino offerings across the United States. While the types of casinos in California vary greatly, you will be able to find them up and down the state, whether you are near the border to Mexico, Canada, or anywhere in between. Many of the casinos in California are not similar to what you would find in a city like Las Vegas. Instead of mega-resorts, the majority of these casinos are instead small, and often times they won’t have any machine games whatsoever. A new casino seems to be popping up each year within the state, and California promises to build on its already growing presence in the gaming industry.
Online Casinos That Accept California Residents
For more information on gambling online for real money in California, see our California Online Casinos and Gambling Sites page.
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California Casinos
Bay 101
Cache Creek Casino Resort
Capitol Casino Sacramento
Commerce
The Gardens
Harrah’s Resort Southern California
Hollywood Park
Hustler
Lucky Chances
M8trix
San Manuel
Cache Creek Casino Resort
Capitol Casino Sacramento
Commerce
The Gardens
Harrah’s Resort Southern California
Hollywood Park
Hustler
Lucky Chances
M8trix
San Manuel
Gambling in California
With its proximity to Las Vegas and the rest of Nevada’s casinos, one might think that California relies on its neighbor to the east for its casino and gambling needs. However, that is not the case.
California is pretty much on par with states like New Jersey or New York when it comes to land-based gambling-related regulations. The local landscape is packed with tribal casinos – and if that wasn’t enough, California-based poker enthusiasts have plenty of quality card rooms to choose from. Pari-mutuel horse race wagering is also available.
Other than that, California allows live bingo and has a state-operated lottery. The Golden State legislators are still working on new iGaming-friendly regulations, so for the time being local gambling enthusiasts have to stick to offshore sites if they want to play their favorite games online.
The Golden State is home to 69 casinos operated by more than 60 federally recognized Native American tribes. Commercial casinos located off tribal land are illegal, but considering the number of tribal casinos as well as the size and quality of many of them, there is no need for further competition.
The San Manuel Casino in Highland (60 minutes east of Los Angeles) is the largest casino in California and the fourth largest in the United States, with 220,000 square feet of gaming space, 4,200 slot machines, more than 100 table games, and a 32-table poker room open 24/7.
There is a large concentration of casinos in Southern California, with more than 20 in the Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties. Other casinos stretch all the way north, such as the Lucky 7 Casino in Smith River just two miles south of the Oregon border.
The state also offers numerous card rooms, some of which are best described as “almost casinos” – such as the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles. Many of these card rooms host table games like blackjack, pai gow, and baccarat, as well as poker rooms. The only aspect that sets them apart from “real” casinos is that they aren’t allowed to host slot machines.
Because of a quirk in the law, craps and roulette games are not allowed at any casino. However, some establishments get around this prohibition by using a deck of cards to mimic the odds of craps and roulette as well as the dice rolls and spins of the ball.
The minimum age for casino gambling in California is 18, but to play at casinos that serve alcohol, you must be at least 21.
Online casinos remain illegal.
Types of Casinos in California
There are two, for all intents and purposes, types of casinos that you will find in California. The most common casino will be what many call a card room. These casinos generally offer a few table game variants, namely blackjack, baccarat, and pai gow, with many of them also offering poker. Some of the card room casinos are known primarily for their poker, while others will only manage to get a few low limit poker games going even on their best days. The majority of the card rooms in California tend to be frequented most often by locals in the area. These are not destination resorts, though there are other casinos in CA that do offer hotels and provide accommodations for those looking to make a vacation out of their trip.
The second type of casino is what the average gambler will be much more accustomed to. Casinos on Native American lands within California offer much more than you will ever find in the card room casinos scattered throughout the state. These locations offer everything, including, but not limited to, slots, video poker, blackjack, roulette, and all other popular table games.
Northern California Casinos
Native American vs Other Casinos
The primary difference between Native American casinos and the other casinos in California is their ability to offer machine games, as well as roulette and craps. There is a catch, however, as there are no dice or balls allowed to be used in California casinos. To circumvent this rule, the casinos that offer craps and roulette administer the games with playing cards. Instead of a ball spinning on the roulette table, the croupier will spin the roulette wheel and it will slap all of the playing cards. Your bet is placed by picking the card in which you think it will stop on. The card is then pulled and the winner is revealed.
The excitement of this form of roulette is certainly less than that of the traditional game, but it is popular nonetheless. In craps, the game is again played with cards in lieu of dice. Cards are turned over to reveal the next “roll,” and the game plays accordingly. Generally speaking, the roulette games in California are more similar to regular casino games, while craps plays very differently, in terms of both pace and game action.
Table Game Fees
If you play in a card room, and then visit a Native American casino, you will notice a striking (and financially damaging) difference. The card rooms charge fees for their games. Usually, the fee is around $1 per $100 wager. This means a $25 and $100 blackjack bet would both be subject to a $1 fee. If you bet $200, the fee would be $2, and so on and so forth. Needless to say, these added fees make the games quite difficult to beat, as you are effectively doubling the house edge in many instances.
The card rooms that charge this fee do so because this is their only means of revenue. The card rooms hire outside companies (known as “The Corporation”) to handle all wagers and risks. Since the room does not benefit from any of your potential losses, they only stand to profit based on your wager size and length of play. If you visit a Native American casino, however, these fees do not exist.
California Sportsbooks & Sports betting
California is taking the necessary steps to bring legal sports betting to the state. A referendum for a constitutional amendment is gaining steam and the necessary signatures, but it likely won’t appear before voters until 2020. If Californians approve the change, the legislature will then need to pass with supermajorities in both houses.
The Native American tribes that operate the state’s casinos present the biggest roadblock to possible legalization.
Steve Stallings, chairman of the California Nations Indian Game Association, commented on the measure, “California voters have, on numerous occasions, confirmed the exclusive right of California tribal governments to operate casino-style games. Legalization of sports betting should not become a backdoor way to infringe upon exclusivity.”
Tribal exclusivity or not, sports betting is currently illegal in California.
Fantasy sports gambling and eSports
The legality of daily fantasy sports has had a rocky history in California.
The good: The California Assembly was the first legislative body in America to approve a bill legalizing and regulating daily fantasy sports, which passed by an overwhelming 62-1 vote.
The bad: The California Senate never took up the bill and killed it before it ever became law.
As a result, DFS is not yet legal in California. However, all DFS sites are in the state and signing up California customers under the belief that DFS requires skill and thus does not constitute gambling.
It’s unclear if and when new DFS legislation will be introduced.
The eSports industry is huge in California, but as of yet, legal wagering on outcomes is not available.
Animal racing
California is one of the largest live horse racing hubs in America.
Along with racing at fairs throughout the state, you can see thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, and harness racing at the following venues:
- Santa Anita Park (Arcadia): Thoroughbred meets from December to June and September to November
- Del Mar (Del Mar): Thoroughbred meets from July to early September and late September to December
- Los Alamitos (Cypress): Thoroughbred meets in June, July, and December, and Quarter Horse meets year-round
- Golden Gate Fields (Berkeley): Thoroughbred meets from January to June and August to December
- Cal-Expo (Sacramento): Harness meets from December to May and October to December
Along with the off-track wagering options at the above racecourses, the California Horse Racing Board lists 27 other simulcast locations throughout the state.
You must be 18 to place a pari-mutuel wager in California.
There is no greyhound racing in the state.
California Poker Games
As mentioned, California is home to numerous legal poker rooms. The California Bureau of Gambling Control lists 72 legal card rooms operating in the state, grouping them by region and county to make it easy to locate a poker room near you.
Most poker rooms require players to be at least 18. If alcohol is served, the age requirement is 21.
Lottery
The California Lottery has been around since 1985. Along with scratch-off tickets, you can play the following draw games:
- Hot Spot
- Daily Derby
- Daily 3
- Daily 4
- Fantasy 5
- SuperLotto Plus
- Mega Millions (multi-state)
- Powerball (multi-state)
You must be at least 18 years old to purchase a California Lottery ticket. All prizes of $600 or more are subject to taxation.
Bingo
While almost all of the tribal casinos in California began as bingo halls, most have closed their bingo operations in favor of the more profitable table games and slot machines allowed by their Class III gaming license. However, 20 tribal casinos still host large bingo games at their facilities.
Charitable gaming laws in California allow qualified non-profit organizations to host bingo games and poker nights for fundraising purposes. Registration costs $100, and the games are restricted to players 21 years and older.
You can find legal bingo halls in more than 150 cities in California.
History of California Casinos
Card rooms aside, the greater casinos in California first came to fruition in 2000. Each of the non-card room casinos that you visit today made agreements with the state, and their deals are independent. While there is no shortage of Native American casinos, there are some areas where the competition is much less than others. Within the large state, you may travel for two hours and only see one casino, or you may travel 10 minutes and see several, as is the case near Rincon, California, where Harrah’s, Pechanga, Pauma, Valley View, and Pala casinos can all be found within a few minutes of each other.
In addition to card rooms and casinos in California, the state also has a number of horse racing tracks. California is not regarded as a premier destination for horse racing, though Southern California and the Bay Area do have a handful of well-known tracks, including Golden Gate Fields near San Francisco and Santa Anita in the Los Angeles area. These tracks also offer pari-mutuel wagering, and bets can be placed on these races from destinations around the world.
An interesting, and often times surprising, note about California casinos is found in their alcohol offerings. While patrons must be 21 to drink, everyone must pay. The state does not allow free drinks for gamblers, whether you are playing small stakes or high stakes. In addition, guests are not allowed to use their earned comp dollars on alcohol. This is a rule that many new California gamblers find surprising, especially if they have previously visited casinos in other parts of the country, like Atlantic City or Las Vegas.
General Rules
– In California, you must be 21 years of age to gamble at casinos
– In California, you must also be 21 years of age to drink alcohol at casinos
– Smoking availability is dependent on the casino itself, with some offering designated smoking areas
– Alcohol is never comped in California, for play or via the use of comps
– In California, you must also be 21 years of age to drink alcohol at casinos
– Smoking availability is dependent on the casino itself, with some offering designated smoking areas
– Alcohol is never comped in California, for play or via the use of comps
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Indian casinos are big business in the state of California, and these days enjoy a monopoly on casino gambling in the state. California is totally fine with allowing the game of poker to be licensed and regulated, but don’t allow casino games.
The Indian tribes of California went ahead and opened casinos anyway, and the battle became fought out in the courts, and in the end it was decided that offering casino gambling on their tribal lands was within their rights of sovereignty and self governance.
Among the Indian tribes who currently operate casinos in California are the Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians, on their reservation located in Valley Center, 45 minutes drive north of San Diego. This puts their casino within very easy reach of the 3 million people that live in the area, and therefore this is a very prime location.
Indian tribes typically don’t have access to the kind of capital that it takes to build a casino, and often bring in outside investors and even outside operators, and the Rincon Band ended up doing both.
Their casino is operated by one of the biggest gaming companies in the world, Caesar’s Entertainment, under the Harrah’s brand. The property was initially called Harrah’s Rincon, and opened in 2002. As the project got off the ground, a second hotel tower was added in 2004. This brought the casino hotel resort up to 662 rooms.
In 2014, the Rincon Indians spent a further $160 million to add a third hotel tower, along with a convention center, and this brought the total room count to 1,065, making it the largest Indian casino hotel in California by room count. Other amenities were added as well, adding more restaurants and renovating much of the facility to bring it to the high standard that it enjoys today.
Upon the completion of these most recent renovations, the property was renamed Harrah’s Resort Southern California, accentuating the fact that this truly is a resort destination now in addition to being one of the state’s most lively gambling spots.
The Harrah’s Resort Southern California isn’t your average Indian casino by any means, and one of the real advantages of bringing in an operator like Caesar’s, which owns the Harrah’s brand, is that the focus is really on the level of opulence that is more typical of a Vegas style casino than an Indian casino, and Caesar’s owns and operates many such casinos.
So they have spent quite a bit of money on this project and from what they have been able to accomplish, they have indeed succeeded in creating a first class casino hotel resort.
Visiting Harrah’s Resort Southern California
Room rates here, at the time of writing anyway, start at under $100 a night, and that does get you a pretty nice room.
The rooms here are modern and nicely decorated and all come with such amenities as WiFi, safe, refrigerator, hair dryer, ironing board with iron, coffee machine, and free access to their fitness area. Both smoking and non smoking rooms are available.
There are several options to choose from as far as their selection of rooms go, all priced reasonably. Suites start at $200 a night for 820 square feet offering more room, and a soaking tub on top of the usual amenities and features.
There are several other suites to choose from, all the way up to the $5,120 a night, 2,398 square foot Presidential Suite. Guests will find whatever they are seeking here at whatever price range they are willing to spend.
Restaurant selections are headlined by the upscale Fiore, which is a restaurant for those who want the best food and don’t mind spending the a little more to get it. There are no prices on the menu here so if you have to ask you probably belong somewhere else.
They have won an award for excellence by Wine Spectator nine years in a row though, and are renowned for their melt in your mouth steak and seafood, so fine diners will certainly want to check it out.
Southern California Casinos Reviews And Ratings
The Buffet here not only offers great food, but unlike a lot of buffet restaurants, this one is simply beautiful in its appearance, and this is a great example of how nothing was spared here in this facility as far as expense or design talent.
This is true of their other restaurants as well, The Café for instance is far from your average café, with hearty portions of delicious food in a gorgeous setting. Rita’s Cantina serves up Mexican fare, and Fortunes offers Asian dining in a casual atmosphere.
There’s also the Earl of Sandwich, boasting the world’s best hot sandwich, and Pink’s Hot Dogs, who claim to have the best hot dogs around. They also have a Starbucks for coffee lovers.
There are three bars here, as well as a spa, a golf course, a pool, an events center, a meeting center, shopping, and more. There’s lots to do here to be sure.
The Casino at Harrah’s Southern California
While the casino here at Harrah’s Resort Southern California is of a fairly modest size of 55,000 square feet, they do pack quite a bit of casino action into this space and it has all a casino gambler could want.
There are 1700 slot and video poker machines on hand, with a full variety, including both reel and video slots, and the largest selection of video poker and video keno in the state of California.
Stakes run from a penny all the way up to $100, and the machines here also employ the latest touch screen technology, and you can even order drinks on it. For jackpot lovers, both single and multi level progressives are available.
There are 68 different table games, with a good selection, even though California’s penchant for cards have them offering different versions of traditional games such as roulette and craps.
Southern California Casino Resort
The roulette here is called Mystery Card roulette, and it is indeed played with a deck of cards, using a card shuffling machine that substitutes as a virtual roulette wheel. Rincon Craps is pretty close to the standard game of craps, shooters do roll dice, but cards are revealed that correspond to the roll, turning the game into a card game of sorts and thus keeping the people in the state capital happy, given their preference for cards.
Games that actually use cards normally are in abundance here, with blackjack being one of them of course, and also including Fortune Pai Gow Progressive, EZ Baccarat, Asia Poker, Three Card Poker, Six Card Bonus, Crazy 4 Poker, Mississippi Poker, Ultimate Texas Holdem, and Let It Ride Bonus.
No California casino would be complete without a poker room, and Harrah’s Resort Southern California is no exception, and offer low stakes cash Holdem as well as weekly tournaments.
Harrah’s also offers their company rewards program on site, Total Rewards, which all players are eligible to take advantage of.
Southern California Casino Reviews Tripadvisor
Harrah’s Resort Southern California is one of the most beautiful Indian casinos you’ll ever visit, in a beautiful part of the country.