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When I think of states with a lot of casinos or a lot of gambling, California isn’t the first one to come to mind. In my mind, people from California who want to gamble usually go to Nevada to visit Las Vegas.

But, as it turns out, the California casino scene is poppin’. You can find over 60 different casinos throughout the state.

In this post, I provide an overview of what the California gambling scene is really like.

An Overview of the California Casino Scene

When it comes to overall number of casinos in the state, California is #2 – right after Nevada. It’s not really close, though. California has somewhere north of 60 casinos in operation, while Nevada has around 350 different casinos.

Still, 60+ casinos is an impressive number.

The two biggest casinos in California are:

You can gamble at the age of 18 in the state of California, although some casinos have policies to only allow 21+ year old gamblers. That’s not a state law, though – that seems to just be a corporate policy for some casinos.

California doesn’t just have casinos and cardrooms, though – the state also has at least 10 parimutuel racetracks, too.

Most of the casinos and gambling in California are tribal in nature.

Types of Gambling Allowed in California

If you want to run a casino in California, you need to be involved in a Native American tribe. No one else is allowed to run casinos in the state. Native American tribes are considered more-or-less independent nations within the United States, and they have specific agreements with state governments (called “compacts” which govern their affairs.

In many states, these compacts include the right to operate casinos as long as the money goes toward the welfare of the tribe. I guess the United States figures it’s the least they can do, considering.

In California, these casinos have a limited amount of freedom in terms of what they can offer. Electronic gaming machines – like slots and video poker — are allowed. Blackjack and other card games are also permitted.

Games which use dice and spinning wheels, like craps and roulette, are not legal in the state. As you’ll read later in this post, California has workarounds for these restrictions.

In many states where Indian tribes are allowed to offer slot machines, state law requires them to release their payback statistics. This is NOT the case with California casinos. Your guess as to the slots payback percentages for these casinos is as good as anyone else’s.

Many of the casinos in California are smaller operates, especially in Southern California.

But the state has its share of large casinos, too.

Cardrooms are almost ubiquitous in the state, too, and they often operate independently of any casino. Some cardrooms even offer player-banked versions of blackjack. There are almost 100 cardrooms throughout the state.

California Craps and California Roulette

Since it’s illegal to use dice or spinning wheels to determine outcomes of gambling games in California, the casinos there have come up with workarounds to get outcomes for games that mirror craps and roulette. These “California craps” and “California roulette” games use a deck of cards to duplicate the odds of traditional craps and roulette.

(Oklahoma used to do the same thing until they changed the laws recently.)

Here’s how that works, although the actual mechanisms sometimes vary by casino:

In some casinos, they will take cards numbered ace through six from two different suits and draw a card of each suit to get a craps total. The odds this way are exactly the same as they would be if you rolled two dice. You still have the same 36 possible outcomes with the same odds of achieving each of them.

Another way some casinos determine these results is to use a deck of cards with 36 cards in it. Each of those cards is coded to correspond to one of the possible outcomes of a pair of dice.

Some people might be confused about this. After all, if you roll two dice, you only have 11 possible totals.

But some of those totals are more common than others because you have multiple ways to get those totals.

For example, a total of seven is the easiest total to get in craps because you can roll any of the following combinations to get that total:

• 1, 6
• 2, 5
• 3, 4

• 4, 3
• 5, 2
• 6, 1

And yes, the order does matter.

California roulette is easier to understand. In a standard roulette game, you have 38 possible outcomes – one for each number on the wheel.

Without the rolling of the dice or the spinning of the wheel, craps and roulette lose some of their appeal. They’re still offered by California casinos, but they’re not exactly popular. Most gamblers enjoy playing blackjack for real money, and since that’s perfectly legal the way it was intended to be played, that’s where the casino devotes most of its table gaming space in California.

Can You Gamble Online in California?

Even though traditional brick-and-mortar cardrooms and casinos are common enough throughout the state, there is no official, regulated online gambling scene in the state. There are no online casinos or online cardrooms operating within California’s borders.

I try to restrain my opinions about the legality of that from a player perspective. It’s clear that it’s a grey area for these offshore casinos to offer casino games, poker, and sports betting for California gamblers.

It’s not clear what is the legality for California gamblers to play at these sites, though. In fact, I know of exactly zero instances of an online gambler getting in any kind of trouble for placing real money wagers of any kind on the internet.

What Is San Manuel Casino Like?

San Manuel Casino is in Highland, California and requires its patrons to be 21 years old or older to enter. It’s the largest casino in the state and easily one of the most popular. They’re open 24/7.

Highland is a little over an hour outside of Los Angeles. They offer slot machines and traditional table card games. They just renovated their non-smoking area in the casino, too.

Like many casinos, San Manuel organizes their gaming into various areas. The Rockin’ Casino, for example, has over 800 new slot machines and 16 table games. It’s designed to have a rock and roll feel. The high limit room, on the other hand, offers a newly-renovated casino experience at the upper betting limits – both slots and card games.

San Manuel has a lucrative arrangement with Konami and boasts of having more Konami games than any other casino in the world. They also offer over 130 different tables of casino games – mostly blackjack.

Finally, the Lotus Palace is an Asian-themed casino gambling area with baccarat and Asian-inspired slots.

What Is Thunder Valley Casino Resort Like?

Thunder Valley Casino Resort is located in Lincoln, California, and they’re open 24/7. The casino offers 3000 different gambling machines, including some big name slots like the following:

• Farmville
• Lightning Link
• Lock It Link Superlock

• Quick Hits
• Triple Diamond
• Wizard of Oz Munchkinland

They offer slot machine gambling at all betting limits, too, from penny slots to $100 per spin.

They also offer a robust selection of casino games, including:

• Baccarat
• Blackjack
• Blackjack Switch
• Chase the Flush
• Criss Cross
• DJ Wild
• Face Up Pai Gow Poker
• Fortune Pai Gow Progressive

• Four Card Poker
• Free Bet Blackjack
• Mystery Card Roulette
• Spanish 21
• Three Card Poker
• Thunder Valley Craps
• Ultimate Texas Hold’em
• Zappit Blackjack

Their “Thunder Valley Craps” is another example of California Craps. In this version, the craps table has a red box and a blue box. You toss the cubes on the table, and the number of dots on the cube corresponds to a card. That card determines the craps total.

“Mystery Card Roulette” works just like any other California roulette game – you draw a card from a deck of 38 cards, and it determines which roulette number was the winner.

Conclusion

California is a big state for gamblers – especially casino gamblers and poker players. You can’t find any place to bet on sports here, yet, and online gambling is more-or-less off-limits.

But there are enough casinos in the state that you can easily scratch that itch.

The state laws allow you to gamble even if you’re only 18, but many of the casinos require you to be 21 to gamble as a policy.

In California, you can enjoy most types of gambling to some extent, even though most forms of gambling are illegal within its borders. Currently, slot games are illegal in California but can be found at tribal casinos, which operate on reservation land and are not beholden to CA law.

Below we present a breakdown of what types of slot games you can find in California and how they differ from Las Vegas’ slot game offerings.

Vegas-Style Slots Versus California Slots

You can find tons of slot games to play in California, even for real money. But while playing slot machines and wagering real money is totally legal in Vegas, the same isn’t true for the Golden State.

Does San Manuel Casino Have Slot Machines Play

Gambling for money is largely illegal in California, except for horse racing and daily fantasy sports. Indian casinos get around this legal restriction since they operate on sovereign Indian ground. Therefore, you can play slots in California so long as they are within a legally operating tribal casino establishment.

Similarities And Differences

Virtually all forms of gambling are legal in Las Vegas, whether for money, digital sweeps coins, or other types of currency. In Las Vegas, you can find all types of slot machines and games in the variety of casinos there. In California, slot games are limited to Indian casinos.

However, this isn’t to say that you won’t find plenty of variety at those Indian casinos. Indeed, many of the largest tribal casinos have thousands of slot machines and tons of variety for slot game enthusiasts to enjoy. For instance, Pechanga Resort Casino is the largest in the entire state and features 4,500 slot machines in total across 188,000 ft.² of gaming space.

There is a shared similarity between California and Las Vegas slots. In most cases, you need to be 21-years-old to play slots. Although the legal gambling age in California is 18-years-old, tribal casinos can set their own legal gambling age. Most of them err on the side of caution and set this to 21-years-old instead of 18-years-old since they serve alcohol on their open gambling floors.

They do this so they don’t accidentally serve alcohol to any underage gamblers. There are only a few tribal casinos in California that allow 18-years-olds to enter.

Largest Northern California Slots Casinos In California

These are the two largest and most slot-intensive casinos in Northern California:

Cache Creek Casino

This newly-reopened tribal casino has a fantastic hotel coming in late 2021. At this time, it’s open 24 hours a day and features almost a 75,000 ft.² space with 2,400 slot machines. Over 300 of these machines are in a non-smoking area. There’s also 122 table games and a high-stakes table area that includes blackjack and baccarat.

You’ll be able to find most of the slots on the main casino floor, separated by a central area featuring table games. There’s also a high limit slots area on the north end of the casino. This is a perfect place if you enjoy slots with more on the line.

Regardless of the titles you choose, you’ll be able to join the casino’s club and benefit from tons of bonuses and high payback limits. The more you play, the more rewards you’ll earn as you spend time at this casino. It’s a great staple gaming establishment if you like to head to the slots every weekend as a hobby.

Thunder Valley Casino Resort

This Northern California tribal casino is located just outside Sacramento. The casino currently features nearly 145,000 ft.² of gaming space and is open 24 hours a day, with 2,800 slot machines and over 130 live poker and gaming tables. There’s also a 500-seat bingo area if you’re interested.

The slots you can find range from classic reel favorites, like Quick Hits, to newer slot games like Willy Wonka’s Munchkinland. The variety of slot machines is truly staggering and slot game enthusiasts will find a lot to like as they tour the expansive space. New and exciting slot machines are usually added to a dedicated spot in Thunder Valley’s Pano Hall. This way, you don’t have to hunt for new games if you check out this casino frequently.

Slot game bets range from one cent up to $100 depending on your preference. There’s also a smoke-free slots room, plus a bonus strike jackpot system that all players can partake in. Players can enjoy extra rewards like chances for bonus jackpots if they sign up for a Thunder Rewards Card.

Here are all the tribal slots casinos operating currently in Northern California:

• Bear River Casino
• Black Oak Casino
• Cache Creek Casino
• Cer-Ae Heights Bingo and Casino
• Chicken Ranch Casino
• Chuckchansi Gold Resort & Casino
• Colusa Casino Resort
• Coyote Valley Casino
• Desert Rose Casino
• Diamond Mountain Casino
• Eagle Mountain Casino
• Elk Valley Casino
• Feather Falls Casino and Lodge
• Garcia River Casino
• Gold Country Casino
• Graton Resort & Casino
• Hard Rock Fire Mountain Casino
• Harrah’s Northern California Casino
• Hidden Oaks Casino
• Hopland So-Ka-Wah Casino & Bingo
• Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort
• Konocti Vista Casino Resort, Marina & RV Park
• Lucky 7 Casino
• Lucky Bear Casino
• Mechoopda Casino Project
• Mono Wind Casino
• North Fork Rancheria Resort Hotel & Casino
• Paiute Palace Casino
• Pit River Casino
• Playstation 777
• Rain Rock Casino
• Red Fox Casino & Bingo
• Red Hawk Casino
• Redwood Hotel Casino
• River Rock Casino
• Robinson Rancheria Resort & Casino
• Rolling Hills Casino
• Running Creek Casino
• San Pablo Lytton Casino
• Sherwood Valley Casino
• Table Mountain Casino
• Tachi Palace Casino Resort
• Thunder Valley Casino
• Twin Pine Casino
• Win-River Casino
• Winnedumah Winn’s Casino

Largest Southern California Slots Casinos In California

Here are the two largest Southern California slots casinos:

Pechanga Resort Casino

This is the largest of all California casinos, totaling 188,000 ft.² of gaming space and 4,500 slot machines, along with tons of table games and other entertainment activities and venues. It’s located in Riverside County, so it’s also very close to wine country. It’s a phenomenal casino since it’s open 24 hours a day and features an expansive slot floor.

Even better, the slot floor has been reworked since the COVID-19 pandemic. Games are now spaced about a machine’s width away to ensure appropriate physical distancing. Classic favorites and newer slot games alike can be found pretty easily, including state-of-the-art reel games, keno games, video poker games, video reels, and more.

The casino makes use of a ticketing system so you can enjoy all the games you like before turning in your total winnings. Slot machine enthusiasts will also really appreciate that this casino constantly updates their game selection, bringing in new titles every few months and filtering out old, lesser played games in order to make space.

Ultimately, it’s a slot player’s dream location, with something new almost every time you pay a visit.

San Manuel Casino

This casino has also recently reopened after its COVID-19 closure. Originally a bingo-only casino, San Manuel Casino now hosts 4,800 slot machines and 120,000 ft.². It’s open 24 hours a day and features many additional table games and a poker room.

Like Pechanga, the casino has redesigned its gaming floor to ensure appropriate social distancing. There are two stories across which you can find slot games, including video reels, video keno, progressive jackpots, mystery jackpots, and more. 120 video poker machines are also scattered throughout the space. You’ll be able to find slot games that range from penny slots to high limit slots depending on how risky you are feeling on a given day.

New slot machines are added pretty frequently, so the floor is almost always shifting and changing from season to season. You can find classics and new and noteworthy slot machines at this time, with new and innovative titles on the way.

San Manuel Free Play Coupon

Here is our round-up of slots casinos in Southern California:

• Agua Caliente Casino Palm Springs/Rancho Mirage
• Augustine Casino
• Barona Resort & Casino
• Barstow Casino and Resort Project
• Cahuilla Casino
• Casino Pauma
• Fantasy Springs Casino
• Golden Acorn Casino
• Havasu Landing Resort & Casino
• Jamul Casino
• La Jolla Trading Post & Casino
• Morongo Travel Center
• Pala Casino Spa Resort
• Pechanga Resort & Casino
• Quechan Casino Resort
• Red Earth Casino
• San Manuel Casino
• Soboba Casino
• Spotlight 29 Casino
• Tortoise Rock Casino
• Valley View Casino
• Viejas Casino

California Slots Casinos FAQ

Does San Manuel Casino Have Slot Machines Win

Yes. Even though you technically earn that money on tribal grounds, you’ll still need to pay taxes on it at the end of the year.

The National Indian Gaming Commission is responsible for most casino regulation, except for a few high-stakes games and tournaments.

Mostly because California’s Native American tribes have made it difficult to pass pro-gambling legislation in the state senate, as it represents a big source of income for the tribes.

San Manuel Slots Online

No. You can play Chumba Casino, LuckyLandSlots, and other sweepstakes slot sites, as these have you compete for digital currencies instead of real money.

Does San Manuel Casino Have Slot Machines Jackpots

Not likely anytime soon. Sports betting and other types of gambling legislation are more likely than slots gambling to come to fruition in the coming years.