How to Compare the Best California Online Casinos
If you're not sure what to look at when determining the quality of an online casino, here is a quick checklist that covers all the bases. Put these in the order that you find most important, then choose the casino that fits your wants and needs the most.
- How many slots are featured? How many versions of blackjack or roulette? Does it feature craps or Sic Bo? What about live dealer games? Sports betting? Poker?
- Software Providers: The software provider lets you know the slot titles a site has, plus the range of table games and video poker. Reputable software companies also confer a reputation on a casino site.
- Betting Limits: Some gaming sites are high-roller casinos with bigger bet limits and withdrawal limits. Other sites cater to mid-stakes players and penny players. Online sportsbooks often have big withdrawal limits.
- VIP Limits: An online casino's rewards club is much like a land-based casino's slots club. If you want VIP rewards for loyalty or high-volume play, then pay attention to the rewards club or loyalty program part of an online casino review.
- Bonuses: Welcome bonuses are a key factor for many online casino players. Others focus on reload bonuses, because these rewards can be redeemed one or more times per month, week, or day.
- Mobile Experience: Over 50% of online players now gamble using their or tablet computer. Our reviews always discuss whether a site is compatible with Android devices and .
- Customer Support: Hopefully, no issues happen. If they do, you want the support staff to be friendly, knowledgeable, fluent, and helpful. They also should be available for calls and live chat 24 hours a day.
What Games Can You Play at Online California Casinos?
The great thing about online casinos is the sheer number of games. Name any game that you can play in a land-based casino and you can find a version in the best online casinos. Here's a brief overview of the most popular casino games online.
- : The most popular casino game is a huge part of online casino gaming. The biggest bonuses involve online slots, while slots pay out the biggest prizes. Casino sites offer hundreds of these games: 5-reel slots, 3-reel slots, licensed slots, and progressive slots.
- : Blackjack has the lowest house edge of any table game, though you'll need to learn basic strategy to attain optimal odds. The best casinos offer half a dozen versions of blackjack or more.
- : A fun game that doesn't require strategy. Roulette has a wide range of bets and is popular enough that three major versions exist: American Roulette, European Roulette, and French Roulette.
- : The most popular casino game in Asia, baccarat is a table game with a low house edge and no strategy requirements.
- : Shooting dice is one of the most entertaining casino games because the game offers a wide range of bets and a low house edge — if you know which bets to make. Beyond that, craps requires no strategy.
- : An 80-ball lottery game that came from China. Over the past 150 years, keno became a staple in land-based casinos. It has a high house edge, but has payouts ranging into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- : Many online casinos offer multiple bingo games in the specialty games section. Top US online casinos offer a wide range of online bingo cards.
- Video Poker: Like blackjack, video poker is a game that requires strategy. Like blackjack, it also has a low house edge — if you use good strategy. Most video poker games are based on 5-card draw.
- Live Dealer Games: These are live versions of blackjack, baccarat, and roulette streamed to your screen in real time. Real dealers are filmed spinning roulette wheels, tossing dice, and dealing cards while you make real wagers.
How to Play at a California Casino: 4-Step Process for Signing Up and Depositing Cash
If you've never played at a California online casino, signing up and depositing cash is a simple process. Follow the step-by-step guide below and you'll be playing games in a few minutes.
- Choose an Online Casino: Read to find the perfect combination of games, bonuses, deposit options, safety, and fairness. Sign up for a player account.
- Make a Deposit: Once you have a player account, log in to your account and click the Deposits or Cashier page link. Once there, choose a payment method and input the amount you wish to deposit.
- Accept the Welcome Bonus: Collect your bonus cash. This might require using a coupon code but, in many cases, requires only acceptance. Understand the bonus terms and wagering requirements.
- Play for Real Money: Use your bankroll and bonus cash for real money casino games. Either download the casino software or click on instant-play games. Choose your favorite game that applies to the requirement and enjoy real money gambling.
Payment Methods Available at California Online Casinos
Players might hesitate to play at online casinos because they don't know how easy it is to make a deposit. Most casinos support a wide array of payments, so players can use the banking method that's most comfortable to them. Here is a brief list of the payment options you can use.
- Visa and MasterCard are available everywhere. American Express is available at many sites, while Discover Card is supported at a handful of sites.
- Debit Cards: Most sites that accept credit card payments from Visa, MasterCard, and Amex also accept prepaid cards from the same brands. This goes for gift cards and prepaid cards, too.
- Bitcoin Deposit: Bitcoin deposits are available at most of the best US online casinos. In many cases, Bitcoin Cash, Bitcoin SV, Litecoin, Ethereum, Dash, and other crypto deposits are supported.
- Web Wallets: E-wallets like Skrill and Neteller are payment methods at many sites. Ecocard is popular, though these cards often require a fee.
- Bank Wire Transfers: Bank wires help you move cash from your bank account to your player account. Bank checks and do the same thing.
- Electronic Payment Services: MoneyGram, Wells Fargo, and Money Orders are accepted at some sites.
- Vouchers: Some sites support voucher deposits using services like PaySafeCard.
Comparing California Online Casino Welcome Bonuses
Because they have several aspects, welcome bonuses might confuse new players. You'll encounter the following terms when reading a welcome bonus's terms and conditions. To determine how good a bonus offer is, you'll need to take account of all of these factors.
- Bonus Offer: Promotions list a bonus amount, such as $1000. This details the max amount of bonus cash you'll receive. All of these have a minimum deposit amount to activate the offer. These range from $10 to $35 in most cases.
- Match Rate: Most welcome bonuses show a match rate, too, which is listed as a percentage. 100% means you'll receive $1 for every $1 you deposit. 200% means you'll receive $2 for every $1 you deposit, and so on.
- Promo Code: Some offers require a player to input a coupon code in order to activate the offer. If so, don't make a deposit without inputting the promo code. Several of the sites we recommend don't require coupon codes.
- Wagering Requirement: This details the number of times you must wager the bonus before withdrawing the cash. If you see a 25x wagering requirement, you'll need to wager the amount of the bonus 25 times before withdrawing the bonus money.
- Max Cashout: Bonus offers sometimes have a max cashout, though this usually applies to no-deposit bonuses. If a bonus promotion says "no max cashout", it means you can collect all of the winnings you have.
- Expiration Date: Sites require players to play through the requirement before a certain date. Pay close attention, because this could be as small as 7 days. Most welcome bonuses have an expiration date of 30 days or 60 days.
Land-Based Casinos in California: CA Tribal Casinos
Outside of Las Vegas, no US state has more brick-and-mortar gambling venues. Most of these are California’s tribal casinos, which include over 100 different gambling halls. California also has famous poker clubs like the Bicycle Club and Commerce Club, along with famous horse tracks like Santa Anita Park in Alameda. In the space below, we focus on the best land-based tribal casinos in California.
Top Land-Based Casinos in California
Commercial Card Clubs in California
Besides its many tribal casinos, California also features 56 card clubs. CA poker clubs are commercial enterprises founded by private companies. They don't offer slot machines but offer local poker and a selection of table games. Some, like the Bicycle Club and Commerce Casino, are world-famous. These venues host notable poker tournaments each year.
The Top 10 Poker Clubs in California