Best Online Casinos In California: List of All New CA Casino Sites December 2024

Real money online casinos are only available to players located in CT, MI, NJ, PA, and WV. If you are outside of these states please see our social casino page for further information.

Real-money online casinos are not currently legal in California. That’s unfortunate because online casinos from trusted operators like DraftKings and BetMGM have plenty of sign-up bonuses and player incentives for first-time users. These typically come in a few different forms, including a deposit match. 

This means a new player in a legal online gambling state can sign up and make an initial deposit with an online casino, and they’ll receive additional casino funds equal to the amount of the initial deposit up to $1,000. It’s essentially a way to double your bankroll right out of the gate, though these offers do come with caveats in terms of how much money a player must wager before they’re able to withdraw any winnings from the deposit match funds.

Another popular sign-up bonus on online casino apps come in the form of free spins. These are essentially tokens for first-time sign-ups to use at their discretion on various casino games, without risking any of their own funds. Players should take advantage of these bonus offers and sign-ups in legal states. If and when California does approve legal online casinos, there will be no shortage of sign-up bonuses and promos for players to take advantage of.

The good news for California online casino enthusiasts is an alternative option – online social casinos. These are just like online retail casinos, with the same offering of slots and table games. The only difference is players can’t actually risk their own money. Instead, they can earn rewards and additional bonuses which can result in real profits and rewards for players at the best online social casinos in California.

Instead of offering things like deposit matches (remember, you don’t actually deposit any real money at social casinos), these sites offer a certain number of tokens or coins that go into your account after signing up. These tokens can then be used to play your favorite casino games. While these coins hold no cash value, they can be exchanged for prizes and rewards with real value.

While there are no real-money casino options for gaming enthusiasts in the Golden State, these California social casino sites allow you to get the exact same experience without having to put any of your own money at risk. Check out our recommended list of the top California online casino states to get started playing all your favorite classics with the potential to earn real prizes.

While online gambling for real-money casinos remains prohibited in California at this time, there are tons of options available for California online casinos. These social casinos are free to play and can result in real rewards and prizes, no strings attached.

⭐ McLuck

McLuck is one of the top free-to-play online casinos in California. It’s easy to sign up and register, after which casino enthusiasts can get started with more than 700 of the best online slot games. They have a top-notch loyalty program for returning players and even include options like live-dealer blackjack online and online roulette. In terms of getting the in-person casino experience from the comfort of your home, McLuck provides countless entertainment options. It’s all free to play and is one of our top options for California online casinos.

⭐ WOW Vegas

WOW Vegas is one of the most popular online social casinos in California. The site generally offers nearly 10,000 WOW coins at sign-up which players can use for slot machines, online games, and much more. WOW Vegas also provides Sweepstakes coins – these can be used and accumulated to cash in for rewards and real prizes with real value. They offer more than 700 online slots machines and games including favorites like Sugar Rush, Take the Bank, and Fruit Nova Super 30. There’s definitely something for everyone and online casino enthusiasts in California will be able to pick from all their favorite options.

⭐ High 5 Casino

This is one of the top options for California online casinos, a well-established brand known for strong sweepstakes offerings that allow players to win real prizes with real value. High 5 Casino as been voted the top social casino in North America on multiple occasions and has hundreds of slot machines to choose from in its robust game library. High 5 offers both Game Coins and Free Sweeps Coins at sign-up – Game Coins are played for fun and bragging rights while Sweeps Coins can be exchanged for real prizes with monetary value.

⭐ Sweeptastic

Another top option for online Casinos in California is Sweeptastic. This site provides a sign-up bonus offer of 55,000 Gold Coins and 34 free sc for $14.99. The site also has daily bonus offerings for players and a renowned loyalty program, The Players' Club, for returning gamers. Sweeptastic is a great place to play hundreds of slot games and classic casino style games once they sign up, and again, this is a totally free platform for online casino players in California, and Sweeptastic remains one of the top options in the sweepstakes casino market.

⭐ Vegas Gems Casino

Vegas Gems has established itself as one of the very best options for California online casinos. Vegas Gems has a wide offering of online slot machines and online casino games available to play. The site also comes with a sign-up offer where you can win up to $1,000 gems + 50% extra gems on your first shards purchase. That can be used to play games like Sugar Rush, Gates of Olympus and Fruit Party. Overall, Vegas Gems has one of the widest array of games for online casinos in California.

⭐ Gambino Slots

If you’re looking for a straightforward option for online slots without a ton of bells and whistles, Gambino Slots is a great choice. This social casino provides new sign-ups with 200 free spins and 100,000 G-Coins, which can be used on over 150 slot machine offerings, including Cleopatra’s Reign, Thor’s Riches, Legend of Zeus 2 Flash Cash, and more. There’s a robust VIP program and loyalty rewards, as well as a great easy-to-use mobile sweepstakes casino app available on all platforms in California.

⭐ Golden Hearts Games

Golden Heart is one of the most unique California casino sites in terms of format. Rather than depositing their own money, players earn free coins by donating to their favorite charity. Players are then eligible to win prizes and real rewards through Golden Heart’s offerings of online slot machines, bingo games, video poker, and more. It’s a great model for casual and experienced online casino players alike, and it allows them to earn rewards and coins while making a difference in any way they choose.

California currently has several forms of legal gambling. The Golden State currently has more tribal casinos than any state in the country, with more than 70 different retail tribal casinos up and down the coast.

As far as the future of online casinos in California goes, much remains up in the air.

More than 30 states have legalized sports gambling in some form ever since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2018 decision to strike down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act and gave individual states the power to allow and regulate retail and online sports betting.

Most states that have since legalized online sports betting also offer online casino gambling, allowing players to risk and win real money on all their favorite slot machines and table games. Should California ever pass legal online sports gambling, it stands to reason that they would offer top online casino sites as well – likely tied in with partnerships with existing tribal casinos.

For now, real-money online casinos and sports gambling remain illegal in California. An attempt to legalize sports gambling failed on the ballot in 2022, with residents voting against in-person sports betting on Proposition 26 and online betting on Proposition 27. The vote was not particularly close, and it will likely be at least another two or three years until a legitimate attempt at online casino gambling and sports betting has a chance to pass.

For now, social casinos are the best legal options in terms of California casino sites. The good news is these sweepstakes casinos have all the same online slot machines and table game options as real-money casinos, along with the opportunity to win real prizes and rewards via Sweepstakes coins.

Getting started with one of the top California online casinos is easy. Simply pick a social casino or two from our list of the best-recommended options. It’s even more simple than signing up with a real-money casino or online sports betting site because you don’t need to deposit anything to start playing with the best online casinos in California.

After picking a top social casino like WOW Vegas or High 5 Casino, click the ‘register’ tab. You’ll then be prompted to pick a username and password and enter your email address. Next, you’ll enter personal information like name, address, and birthday. This is simply to confirm all players are over the age of 18. All your personal information is safe and secure because Bookies.com only recommends legal social casinos with legit security protocols and customer service teams.

That’s pretty much it. With no requirement to make an initial deposit, players will receive some sort of California casino sign-up bonus like 100 free spins or coins. Players can then use those spins and coins and, in certain cases, compete for prizes and awards with real monetary value.

Online gambling and sports betting remain banned throughout the state of California. Recent attempts at joining other states to legalize online sports betting have failed, with little momentum pushing to get them back on the ballot at the moment.

California has a wide offering of retail casinos, at which those in the Golden State can get down on craps, blackjack, roulette, live baccarat online, slot machines, bingo, and much more. However these tribal casinos are strictly regulated and remain retail-only, with no online betting options at the moment for gamblers in California.

California online casino players still have plenty of options. While retail tribal casinos are the only option to place real-money bets on table games and slot machines, social casinos in California offer all the same types of games without any need to actually make a deposit.

These new sweepstakes casinos are free to play for anyone over the age of 18, and they all come with different forms of sign-up bonuses and new customer offers. Typically, players will receive a certain number of free spins or coins in their account after signing up, as well as Sweepstakes coins.

The free spins and coins are just for fun and can be used to post high scores and compete with friends for bragging rights on the top casino games. sweepstakes coins, however, can be used in contests with real awards and prizes.

Top social casinos in California run daily Sweeps contests and events, and players who collect enough Sweepstakes coins can then cash them in for real prizes and awards. Players will usually receive some Sweepstakes coins as a welcome bonus at sign-up, but players can also purchase Sweepstakes coins to continue to participate in contests.

Make sure to follow these California online casinos on their social media pages. Most of the top social casinos in California will update frequently and post about daily events and sweepstakes casino games contests, so it’s helpful to stay on top of all the promotional activity after signing up to get in on the action.

California is one of the most progressive states in the country, but it’s lagged behind most other states when it comes to online casino gambling.

More than 30 states currently offer online sports betting in some form thanks to a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act and allowed individual states to legalize and regulate online gambling.

Several of those states have followed up and additionally offered online casino gaming, including Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia and Delaware. This has generated additional millions in revenue for the state on top of sports betting, and other states are in the process of attempting to pass online casino legislation.

California is now firmly in the minority of states that have banned all types of online sports gambling and real-money online casinos. If and when California does pass legal sports gambling, it remains to be seen if the Golden State would then approve online casino sites in California as well.