Best Gambling Sites in California 2026

California is the biggest unregulated sports betting market in the country. Despite a population north of 39 million and the deepest sports fan base in America, no licensed online sportsbook operates here in 2026. The reasons are political, tribal, and historical, and the result is that Californians who want to wager legally are limited to social casinos, sweepstakes sites, daily fantasy sports, parimutuel horse racing, federally regulated prediction markets, and card rooms.

California voters faced two competing sports betting ballot measures in November 2022. Proposition 26 would have authorized in-person sports betting at tribal casinos and the four state-licensed horse racetracks. Proposition 27 would have authorized statewide online sports betting through partnerships between tribes and commercial operators like DraftKings and FanDuel. Both lost, badly. Prop 27 was defeated roughly 82% to 18%, one of the largest margins for any California ballot measure in history, while Prop 26 captured under 30% of the vote. The combined campaigns spent close to $450 million, the most expensive ballot fight in US history.