California is the richest and most populous state in the U.S., and therefore an important market for gambling. However, its political landscape is complex, and competing interests have tended to sink most attempts at gambling expansion, despite the state’s overall liberal politics.
Retail poker is huge in California, thanks to its many cardrooms, which can legally offer only player-vs.-player, card-based forms of gambling. Many of the biggest tournaments and most popular poker streams in the U.S. take place at venues in California, like Bay 101, Commerce Casino, the Bicycle, and Stones Gambling Hall.
Online poker is a different story, being illegal for real money in the state. For a time, sweepstakes poker rooms targeted California residents, but the state banned that business model in September 2025.
Two Los Angeles-area cities with prominent cardrooms are proposing a sales tax increase intended to offset the financial impact of… Continue reading California’s Blackjack Ban May Force an Increase in Local Sales Tax
California cardrooms filed two lawsuits that challenge Attorney General Rob Bonta’s new state regulations that would bar cardrooms from offering… Continue reading California Cardrooms Sue Over AG Rob Bonta’s Blackjack Ban
Poker tournament director Justin Hammer said a lack of satellites is partially to blame for the downfall of the L.A.… Continue reading Can Satellites Help Revive the L.A. Poker Classic?
The L.A. Poker Classic, a long-running staple in tournament poker, may be close to disappearing if the registration numbers for… Continue reading L.A. Poker Classic Draws Just 26 Entries on Day One — Registration Still Open on Day Two
The California cardroom industry has been rocked by the confirmation that blackjack will be banned, with some of the operators… Continue reading California Cardrooms Warn of Mass Layoffs, Impending Lawsuit Following Blackjack Ban
There’s a shadow hanging over the L.A. Poker Classic (LAPC), as locals say they’re worried about the future of poker… Continue reading Los Angeles Poker is Dying — Players Say Venues No Longer Care About Tournaments
The California Department of Justice has received final approval for new rules for cardrooms in the state, which will ban blackjack and require that… Continue reading California Bans Blackjack at Cardrooms, Places Limits on Prop Dealers
An investigation is underway after a 70-year-old trespassing casino guest died in police custody in San Pablo, California. The individual… Continue reading California Casino Trespasser Dies While in Custody
Law enforcement in Lancaster, California, raided an illegal “tap-tap” casino that, like other so-called “slap houses,” had been a hub… Continue reading California Authorities Raid Illegal ‘Tap-Tap’ Casino to Continue Crackdown on ‘Slap Houses’
A wild melee that included a stabbing created an ugly scene at Hard Rock Tejon Casino, a black mark on… Continue reading Stabbing Puts Black Eye on Hard Rock Tejon’s Early Months
