Land Based Casinos in California – The Complete California Casino Guide for 2026
Welcome back to GamblingCalifornia.com. If you are looking for a real, no-fluff guide to land based casinos in California, this is the page that will get you sorted. I have been gambling at California casinos for years now, from the giants like Pechanga and Yaamava’ down to the smaller spots tucked away in places most tourists have never heard of. The state has more casinos than just about anywhere outside Nevada, and the variety is honestly impressive. You can find a Vegas-style mega-resort with a thousand-room hotel, or you can drive an hour into the foothills and play slots at a 100-table local spot with a $7 buffet.
This page covers everything you need to know about California’s land-based casino scene. I will walk through which casinos are legal and why, the history of how the state got here, the biggest and best properties in each region, what games you can play, the differences in California-style table games, the age rules, and what to expect if you are visiting one of these places for the first time. If you want a deeper dive on cardrooms, those are covered on a separate page on this site. Cardrooms are a different animal and they deserve their own treatment.
Are Land Based Casinos Legal in California?
Yes, but with a big asterisk. California does not allow commercial casinos like the ones in Nevada or Atlantic City. There is no California Bellagio or California MGM Grand. Every full-service casino in the state is operated by a federally recognized Native American tribe on tribal land, under what are called tribal-state compacts. The legal authority for this comes from a combination of federal law (the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988) and a 2000 amendment to the California Constitution that voters approved as Proposition 1A.
What this means in practice is that you can absolutely walk into a casino in California and play slots, blackjack, baccarat, poker, and a handful of other games. You just have to do it on tribal land, which in most cases means driving to a reservation. The good news is that California has roughly 70 of these casinos scattered across the state, so most population centers have at least one within a reasonable drive. The official list of licensed casinos is maintained by the California Gambling Control Commission, and the broader regulatory framework is overseen by the National Indian Gaming Commission at the federal level.
History of Tribal Gambling in California
The story of tribal gambling in California is actually pretty fascinating, and it explains why the state’s casino scene looks the way it does. The whole thing traces back to a 1987 Supreme Court case called California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians. The Cabazon Band, based in Indio, had opened a bingo and poker hall in the early 1980s as a way to generate revenue for the tribe, which was extremely poor at the time. State and county officials raided the hall and tried to shut it down, arguing California’s gambling laws applied on tribal land. The tribe sued, and the case made it all the way to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the tribes, saying that because California allowed some forms of gambling (the lottery, charitable bingo, parimutuel horse racing), the state could not simply ban tribal gaming on reservations. That decision opened the door for tribes across the country to start running gaming operations. Congress responded the following year with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, or IGRA, which set up the modern framework for tribal gaming in 1988. You can read more about IGRA on the National Indian Gaming Commission’s official page.
IGRA divided gaming into three classes. Class I is traditional tribal social gaming, no big deal. Class II is bingo and certain non-banked card games, which tribes can operate without state permission. Class III is the big stuff, slots, blackjack, baccarat, and other casino-style games, and that is where things get complicated. To run Class III games, a tribe has to negotiate a compact with the state government and have it approved by the federal government.
For most of the 1990s, California tribes and the state argued back and forth about Class III gaming. Tribes operated slot machines without compacts, the state tried to shut them down, lawsuits flew, and nothing got resolved. Things came to a head in 1998 when voters approved Proposition 5, the Tribal Government Gaming and Economic Self-Sufficiency Act. The California Supreme Court struck most of Prop 5 down in 1999, but Governor Gray Davis then negotiated 58 compacts with tribes, and voters cemented the deal in March 2000 with Proposition 1A. That measure amended the California Constitution to specifically authorize slot machines, banking and percentage card games, and lottery games on tribal land. You can find the official record of the proposition on the California Legislative Analyst’s Office page on Proposition 1A.
From there, the industry exploded. Within a decade, California had become the largest tribal gaming state in the country, and today it generates more revenue from tribal casinos than any other state, around $9 billion annually.
Tribal-State Compacts and How They Work
The compact system is the legal backbone of every casino in California. A compact is essentially a contract between an individual tribe and the state government that spells out exactly what kinds of games the tribe can offer, how many slot machines they can have, what fees they pay, and who handles regulation. Without a compact, a tribe cannot legally offer Class III games, which means no slots, no blackjack, none of the big revenue-generating stuff.
The compacts come in a few different flavors. The original 1999 compacts were signed by 61 tribes and limited each casino to 2,000 slot machines. Later rounds of negotiations in 2004 and 2012 produced new compacts that lifted the slot limit for some tribes in exchange for higher revenue sharing payments to the state. That is why some California casinos like Yaamava’ and Pechanga have 4,000-plus machines while others are capped at the older limit.
The compacts also set up two funds that smaller, non-gaming tribes benefit from. The Revenue Sharing Trust Fund (RSTF) takes a slice of casino revenue and distributes it to tribes that do not have casinos or that operate small ones, so the wealth generated by gaming spreads across the broader tribal community. The Special Distribution Fund handles state regulatory costs, problem gambling programs, and various other purposes. Without going too deep into the weeds, the structure is meant to balance tribal sovereignty with state interests, and it has held up reasonably well for over twenty years now.
Top 10 Biggest Casinos in California
If size matters to you, these are the giants. The biggest California casinos rival anything you would find in Las Vegas in terms of slot count and gaming floor square footage. The list below is ranked roughly by gaming floor size and slot count, and each one of these is a destination property in its own right.
| Casino | Location | Slot Machines | Table Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yaamava’ Resort & Casino | Highland | 7,000+ | 135+ |
| Pechanga Resort Casino | Temecula | 5,400 | 154 |
| Morongo Casino Resort Spa | Cabazon | 4,200 | 80 |
| Thunder Valley Casino Resort | Lincoln | 3,400 | 110 |
| Graton Resort & Casino | Rohnert Park | 3,000+ | 100 |
| Cache Creek Casino Resort | Brooks | 2,300 | 120 |
| Sycuan Casino Resort | El Cajon | 2,300 | 53 |
| Chumash Casino Resort | Santa Ynez | 2,400 | 45 |
| Viejas Casino & Resort | Alpine | 2,500 | 80+ |
| Barona Resort & Casino | Lakeside | 2,200 | 65 |
Best Casinos in Southern California
Southern California has the highest concentration of casinos in the state, and honestly some of the best ones. The San Diego area alone has nearly a dozen, and the Inland Empire and Coachella Valley add a bunch more. If you live anywhere from Bakersfield south, you are within a reasonable drive of multiple options.
Pechanga Resort Casino (Temecula) is one of the top picks for most regulars I know. It sits halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego, which makes it convenient for both metros. The property has a 1,090-room hotel, a championship golf course, a serious spa, and over a dozen restaurants. The gaming floor is massive with 5,400 slots and one of the better non-smoking poker rooms in the state. The vibe is upscale without being stuffy.
Yaamava’ Resort & Casino (Highland), formerly known as San Manuel, is the largest casino in California by slot count. It is east of Los Angeles in San Bernardino County, and it punches way above its weight in terms of high-limit gaming, restaurants, and entertainment. The 17-story hotel was added a few years back and turned the place from a big casino into a true destination resort. Live entertainment at Yaamava’ Theater regularly pulls in major touring acts.
Morongo Casino Resort Spa (Cabazon) is just off Interstate 10, about 20 miles west of Palm Springs. It is impossible to miss thanks to the giant tower visible from the freeway. Morongo has 4,200 slots, a 36-hole golf course, a 24-lane bowling alley, and a spa. The buffet is a longtime favorite for travelers heading to and from Phoenix or Las Vegas.
Barona Resort & Casino (Lakeside) sits about 30 miles east of downtown San Diego, and it has a loyal following thanks to a long-running reputation for loose slots and excellent customer service. The property is non-smoking, which a lot of people prefer, and the 400-room hotel and golf course make it an easy weekend trip from anywhere in San Diego County.
Sycuan Casino Resort (El Cajon), also near San Diego, recently added a 300-room hotel that turned it into a full resort. The casino floor is around 200,000 square feet, and Sycuan has historically been one of the better mid-sized SoCal casinos for table game variety. The Singing Hills Golf Resort next door is well-rated too.
Pala Casino Spa Resort (Pala) is in the northeast corner of San Diego County, about an hour from downtown San Diego. It is a sneaky-good property that flies under the radar compared to the bigger names but offers a great gaming floor and strong dining options.
Other solid Southern California options include Viejas Casino & Resort in Alpine, Harrah’s Resort Southern California in Valley Center (which is the Caesars-branded property), Agua Caliente Casinos in the Palm Springs area, Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Valley View Casino & Hotel in Valley Center, and Jamul Casino just outside San Diego.
Best Casinos in Northern California
Northern California has fewer mega-resorts than the south, but the ones it does have are top-notch. The Sacramento and Bay Area regions are well covered, and there are some smaller spots tucked into wine country and the Sierra foothills that are worth the drive.
Thunder Valley Casino Resort (Lincoln) is the biggest casino in Northern California and probably my favorite stop in the region. It is about 30 miles northeast of Sacramento, owned by the United Auburn Indian Community, and has 3,400 slots, 110 table games, and a 50-table poker room that runs around the clock. The 17-story AAA Four Diamond hotel adds a 400-room luxury option, and the 5,000-seat outdoor amphitheater pulls in big concerts during the warm months.
Graton Resort & Casino (Rohnert Park) is the closest big casino to San Francisco, about 48 miles north of the city in Sonoma County wine country. It is operated by Station Casinos, which gives it a Vegas pedigree most California properties do not have. A major expansion that announced in 2023 is set to roughly double the size of both the casino and the hotel, which would push Graton up near the top of the state by overall size. As of now it has about 3,000 slots and 100 table games.
Cache Creek Casino Resort (Brooks) is around 40 miles west of Sacramento in the Capay Valley. It is owned by the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation and has grown a lot over the past two decades from its origins as a 1980s bingo hall. The property now has 2,300 slots, 120 table games, the Yocha Dehe Golf Club, and a 659-room hotel split between two towers. The casino has a reputation for one of the better selections of authentic straight-reel slot machines in the state, which old-school slots players appreciate.
Harrah’s Northern California (Ione) is in the Sierra foothills wine country, about 40 minutes southeast of Sacramento. It is smaller than the big three but has a Vegas vibe thanks to the Caesars management, and it is a nice change of pace from the giant resort properties.
Red Hawk Casino (Placerville) sits along Highway 50 between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, making it a popular pit stop for travelers heading to the mountains. It is operated by the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians and has 2,000 slots and a decent table game selection.
Other Northern California options worth mentioning include Twin Pine Casino & Hotel in Middletown, Gold Country Casino Resort in Oroville, River Rock Casino in Geyserville, Konocti Vista Casino in Lakeport, and Black Oak Casino Resort in Tuolumne.
Best Casinos in Central California
The Central Valley and Central Coast have a smaller cluster of casinos, but the ones that are there are solid. If you live in Fresno, Bakersfield, Visalia, or anywhere in between, these are your closest options.
Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino (Coarsegold) is about 30 miles north of Fresno on the way to Yosemite, which makes it a popular stop for park visitors. The casino has around 1,800 slots, 36 table games, and has earned a AAA Four Diamond rating four years running. The property includes a hotel, several restaurants, and an entertainment venue.
Tachi Palace Casino Resort (Lemoore) is in Kings County, near Visalia, and it has grown into one of the most well-rounded casinos in the Central Valley. After a major renovation completed in 2023, Tachi Palace has 2,000 slots, 21 table games, a 7-table poker room, an 850-seat bingo hall, and a 255-room hotel. It is also family-friendly with a separate Coyote Entertainment Center that has bowling, an arcade, and a movie theater. The gaming areas are 21 and up, but the rest of the resort welcomes families.
Table Mountain Casino (Friant) is about 20 miles north of Fresno and recently completed a major expansion that added a 12-story hotel tower and the Eagle Springs Golf and Country Club. Table Mountain has long been a favorite for table game players in the Central Valley.
Eagle Mountain Casino (Porterville) opened a brand-new 100,000-square-foot facility in May 2023 after relocating from its original reservation site to a more convenient spot near the Porterville Municipal Airport. The new property is dramatically bigger and nicer than the old one, and a hotel and convention center expansion is in the works.
Other Central California options include Mono Wind Casino in Auberry and Hard Rock Casino Tejon, which I will cover in the newest casinos section below.
What Games You Can Play at California Land Based Casinos
California casinos offer most of the games you would expect at any major casino, but with a few quirks I will get into in the next section. Here is the rundown of what you will find on a typical California casino floor.
Slot machines are the bread and butter and you will find thousands of them at the bigger properties. Every modern theme is represented, from classic three-reel machines for the old-schoolers to the latest video slots with bonus rounds, free spins, and progressive jackpots. Penny denominations all the way up to $500 high-limit machines are common at the bigger casinos.
Blackjack is offered at every California casino with a Class III compact. Single-deck, double-deck, and shoe games are all available, and most casinos have high-limit rooms with higher bet limits and sometimes better rules. Minimums typically run from $10 to $25 on the main floor, with high-limit going up significantly.
Baccarat is widely available, especially at the bigger casinos. Pai Gow and Mini-Baccarat are common too.
Poker rooms are at most of the big casinos, ranging from a handful of tables at smaller properties to 50-plus tables at places like Thunder Valley and Pechanga. Texas Hold’em is the most common game, but you will also find Omaha, Seven Card Stud, and various poker tournaments.
Bingo is offered at most California casinos, often in a dedicated bingo hall. Some of the bigger casinos have bingo halls that seat hundreds of players for daily and special-event games.
California-style craps and roulette, which I will explain below, are offered at most casinos in some form.
What you will not find at most California casinos is sports betting, since that is not legal in the state.
California-Style Table Games
Here is one of the unique quirks of California gambling. The state’s laws do not allow casinos to use traditional dice or roulette wheels to determine outcomes. The reason is buried in old California law, which historically defined certain forms of gambling as “banking games” that were prohibited unless specifically authorized. The compacts allowed slot machines, banking card games like blackjack, and lottery-style games, but the language did not cover dice and roulette in the conventional sense.
So California casinos got creative. California-style craps uses cards instead of dice. The dealer rolls the dice the way you would expect, but the actual outcome of the bet is determined by cards drawn from a shoe. The dice rolls just trigger which cards get used. The action feels similar to traditional craps once you get going, but the math and the procedure are different.
California-style roulette works the same way. Instead of a ball spinning around a wheel, the casino uses a card-based system to determine the winning number. Some casinos use a hybrid where there is a wheel for show, but cards are still the official decider.
If you have never played the California versions, they take a few rounds to get used to. The pace is a little different and the energy at the craps table is not quite the same without real dice driving the action. But the games are still fun and the house edges are similar to the traditional versions.
Minimum Gambling Age at California Casinos
The minimum age to gamble at California casinos depends on whether the casino serves alcohol on the gaming floor. Casinos that have a state-issued alcohol license are required to enforce a 21-and-over policy throughout the gaming areas. Casinos without an alcohol license can allow 18-year-olds to gamble on slot machines and certain other games.
In practice, most of the big-name casinos in California are 21 and up. Pechanga, Yaamava’, Thunder Valley, Cache Creek, Graton, and most of the major resort casinos all enforce the 21-plus rule because they all serve alcohol. A handful of smaller casinos in more rural areas allow 18-plus gambling, but you will want to check the individual casino’s rules before showing up.
Cardrooms in California are universally 21 and up. Bingo at non-alcohol casinos can sometimes be played at 18, but again, the bigger casinos typically enforce 21. The state lottery and horse race wagering are 18 and up, but those are not casino games. If you are 18, 19, or 20 and want to gamble in person in California, your options are limited and you will want to call ahead before driving out.
Hotels, Dining, and Amenities at California Casinos
This is where California’s bigger casinos really shine. Most of the major properties have evolved into full destination resorts over the past two decades, with hotels, multiple restaurants, spas, golf courses, entertainment venues, and even bowling alleys and outlet malls.
The hotels at the major casinos are legitimately nice. Pechanga’s hotel has 1,090 rooms and is rated AAA Four Diamond. Yaamava’s 17-story tower is one of the newer luxury hotels in Southern California. Thunder Valley, Cache Creek, Sycuan, Chumash, and Graton all have AAA Four Diamond hotels. Even mid-sized casinos like Tachi Palace and Chukchansi have respectable hotel options.
Dining is hit or miss depending on the casino, but the bigger ones have figured it out. Pechanga’s Great Oak Steakhouse is consistently among the best steakhouses in Riverside County. Valley View Casino’s Black & Blue Steakhouse has won regional awards. Cache Creek has 10 restaurants. Chumash, Pechanga, and Yaamava’ all have multiple fine-dining options alongside the casual food courts and buffets.
Beyond gambling and food, you will find spas at most major casinos, golf courses at several (Pechanga, Barona, Sycuan, Chumash, Cache Creek, and others), entertainment venues that book major touring acts, and at Morongo a 24-lane bowling alley. The Pechanga and Morongo properties even have outlet shopping nearby. The casino-as-destination-resort model has fully taken hold in California.
Players Clubs and Comps at California Casinos
Every casino in California has a players club, and signing up takes about five minutes at the rewards desk. You will need a photo ID to sign up. Once you are in, you tap or insert your card at slot machines and hand it to the dealer at table games to track your play. The more you play, the more points and tier credits you earn, and those translate into free play, dining credits, hotel comps, and various other perks.
The bigger casinos have multi-tier programs that scale up with your level of play. Pechanga’s Club at Pechanga, Yaamava’s Club Serrano, Thunder Valley’s Pinnacle Rewards, Harrah’s Caesars Rewards (which works at Harrah’s properties nationwide), and Sycuan’s program are all worth signing up for if you play at any of those casinos with regularity. The Caesars Rewards program is particularly useful because it works at Harrah’s properties in Nevada and across the country, not just in California.
If you are a regular player, the comps add up faster than you might expect. Free hotel nights, free meals, free play credits, concert tickets, and special tournament invitations are all common perks. The trick is to play at one or two casinos consistently rather than spreading your action across a bunch of different properties. Loyalty pays.
Newest California Casinos
The California casino landscape keeps evolving, with new properties opening and existing ones expanding regularly. The biggest recent addition is Hard Rock Casino Tejon, which opened on November 13, 2025, in Kern County at the base of the Grapevine. It is the first phase of what will eventually be a much larger resort. The current casino has slots and table games in a 100,000-square-foot facility. A major expansion in late 2027 will add a 400-room hotel with a Rock Spa, a Hard Rock Live concert venue, additional dining options, and more gaming space. The location, right off Interstate 5 between Bakersfield and Los Angeles, fills a gap in the state’s casino map and gives drivers between the two metros a major stop they did not have before.
Eagle Mountain Casino in Porterville is technically not brand-new, but its current location is. The Tule River Indian Tribe relocated the casino from its old reservation site to a new 100,000-square-foot facility near the Porterville Municipal Airport in May 2023, and a hotel and convention center expansion is in the works.
Graton Resort & Casino in Rohnert Park has been undergoing a major expansion announced in 2023 that will roughly double the size of both the gaming floor and the hotel. When the expansion is complete, Graton will be the second-largest casino in California behind Yaamava’.
A few other tribes have casino projects in various stages of development. The Koi Nation is working on a casino project in Sonoma County, and the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians has been pursuing a project in Vallejo. These have moved through various legal and regulatory hurdles over the years and may eventually open, though timelines are hard to predict.
Tips for First-Time Visitors to California Casinos
If you have never been to a California casino before, here are the things I wish someone had told me on my first trip.
Sign up for the players club before you spend a dollar. Even if you only plan to play for an hour, the free play offers and signup bonuses can pay for parking and a meal. There is no downside to having the card, and you can always not use it.
Bring your ID. You will need it to sign up for the players club, and you may be asked for it again if you hit a hand-pay jackpot. Bring it, do not leave it in the hotel room.
Cash works, ATMs work, but ATM fees are high. Most California casinos charge $5 to $7 in ATM fees, plus your bank’s fees on top. If you know how much you want to play with, hit your bank before you go.
Drinks are not free at California casinos. Unlike Nevada, California tribal casinos generally charge for alcoholic drinks even when you are gambling. Soft drinks and water are often free, but if you want a beer or a cocktail, expect to pay.
The dress code is casual. California casinos are not Vegas Strip places where you might want to dress up. Jeans and a T-shirt are fine almost everywhere except some of the upscale steakhouses.
Smoking rules vary. Some casinos like Barona and Pechanga’s poker room are non-smoking, but most have smoking allowed on the main gaming floor. If you are sensitive to smoke, check ahead.
The drive can be long. California is a big state, and the casinos are mostly located outside the major cities on tribal land. Pechanga is 90 minutes from downtown LA in good traffic, and traffic on the 15 freeway south on a Friday afternoon is rarely good. Plan accordingly.
Tip your dealers and servers. Standard practice is $1 per drink for cocktail servers and a few dollars per session for dealers, more if you are winning. Tipping is part of the casino culture.
Take breaks. Casinos are designed to keep you inside playing. Set a budget and a time limit before you start, and walk away when you hit either one. The games will be there next time.
Complete List of California Casinos
Below is a comprehensive list of every operating casino in California, organized by region and county. This includes the major resort properties as well as the smaller spots that often fly under the radar. If you are looking for a casino near you that did not get its own write-up above, this is where to find it.
Southern California Casinos
| Casino | City | County |
|---|---|---|
| Yaamava’ Resort & Casino | Highland | San Bernardino |
| Pechanga Resort Casino | Temecula | Riverside |
| Morongo Casino Resort Spa | Cabazon | Riverside |
| Casino Morongo | Cabazon | Riverside |
| Agua Caliente Casino Rancho Mirage | Rancho Mirage | Riverside |
| Agua Caliente Casino Palm Springs | Palm Springs | Riverside |
| Agua Caliente Casino Cathedral City | Cathedral City | Riverside |
| Augustine Casino | Coachella | Riverside |
| Cahuilla Casino | Anza | Riverside |
| Fantasy Springs Resort Casino | Indio | Riverside |
| Soboba Casino Resort | San Jacinto | Riverside |
| Spotlight 29 Casino | Coachella | Riverside |
| Tortoise Rock Casino | Twentynine Palms | San Bernardino |
| Havasu Landing Resort & Casino | Havasu Lake | San Bernardino |
| Barona Resort & Casino | Lakeside | San Diego |
| Sycuan Casino Resort | El Cajon | San Diego |
| Viejas Casino & Resort | Alpine | San Diego |
| Pala Casino Spa Resort | Pala | San Diego |
| Harrah’s Resort Southern California | Valley Center | San Diego |
| Valley View Casino & Hotel | Valley Center | San Diego |
| Casino Pauma | Pauma Valley | San Diego |
| Jamul Casino | Jamul | San Diego |
| Golden Acorn Casino | Campo | San Diego |
| La Jolla Trading Post & Casino | Pauma Valley | San Diego |
| Chumash Casino Resort | Santa Ynez | Santa Barbara |
| Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tejon | Mettler | Kern |
| Quechan Casino Resort | Winterhaven | Imperial |
| Red Earth Casino | Salton City | Imperial |
Central California Casinos
| Casino | City | County |
|---|---|---|
| Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino | Coarsegold | Madera |
| Tachi Palace Casino Resort | Lemoore | Kings |
| Table Mountain Casino | Friant | Fresno |
| Mono Wind Casino | Auberry | Fresno |
| Eagle Mountain Casino | Porterville | Tulare |
Northern California Casinos
| Casino | City | County |
|---|---|---|
| Thunder Valley Casino Resort | Lincoln | Placer |
| Cache Creek Casino Resort | Brooks | Yolo |
| Graton Resort & Casino | Rohnert Park | Sonoma |
| River Rock Casino | Geyserville | Sonoma |
| Sky River Casino | Elk Grove | Sacramento |
| Red Hawk Casino | Placerville | El Dorado |
| Harrah’s Northern California Casino | Ione | Amador |
| Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort | Jackson | Amador |
| Acorn Ridge Casino | Plymouth | Amador |
| Black Oak Casino Resort | Tuolumne | Tuolumne |
| Chicken Ranch Casino | Jamestown | Tuolumne |
| Feather Falls Casino & Lodge | Oroville | Butte |
| Gold Country Casino Resort | Oroville | Butte |
| Mechoopda Casino | Oroville | Butte |
| Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Fire Mountain | Wheatland | Yuba |
| Colusa Casino Resort | Colusa | Colusa |
| San Pablo Lytton Casino | San Pablo | Contra Costa |
| Rolling Hills Casino | Corning | Tehama |
| Win-River Resort & Casino | Redding | Shasta |
| Pit River Casino | Burney | Shasta |
| Konocti Vista Casino Resort | Finley | Lake |
| Robinson Rancheria Resort & Casino | Nice | Lake |
| Running Creek Casino | Upper Lake | Lake |
| Twin Pine Casino & Hotel | Middletown | Lake |
| Coyote Valley Casino | Redwood Valley | Mendocino |
| Garcia River Casino | Point Arena | Mendocino |
| Hidden Oaks Casino | Covelo | Mendocino |
| Hopland Sho-Ka-Wah Casino | Hopland | Mendocino |
| Red Fox Casino & Bingo | Laytonville | Mendocino |
| Sherwood Valley Casino | Willits | Mendocino |
| Bear River Casino Resort | Loleta | Humboldt |
| Blue Lake Casino & Hotel | Blue Lake | Humboldt |
| The Heights Bingo & Casino | Trinidad | Humboldt |
| Lucky Bear Casino | Hoopa | Humboldt |
| Elk Valley Casino | Crescent City | Del Norte |
| Lucky 7 Casino & Hotel | Smith River | Del Norte |
| Redwood Hotel Casino | Klamath | Del Norte |
| Rain Rock Casino | Yreka | Siskiyou |
| Diamond Mountain Casino | Susanville | Lassen |
| Desert Rose Casino | Alturas | Modoc |
| Wanaaha Casino | Bishop | Inyo |
| Winnedumah Win’s Casino | Independence | Inyo |
A few notes on this list. The casino industry in California is constantly evolving, with expansions, name changes, and new construction happening regularly. A few projects in development that are not yet open include the North Fork Mono Casino in Madera, the Scotts Valley Casino in Vallejo, the Cloverdale Rancheria casino, the Shiloh Resort & Casino in Santa Rosa, and the Inyokern Casino in Kern County. Some of these may open within the next few years and will be added to this list once they are operational. The Graton expansion that opens in May 2026 will significantly grow that property without it being a separate new casino. Always check with the casino directly before making a long drive, as hours, available games, and even operations can change.
One more thing. Casinos are entertainment, and the math is set up so the house wins over time. That is fine if you are playing for fun and treating it like the cost of a night out. It becomes a problem when you start gambling more than you can afford or chasing losses to make back what you have lost. If gambling is starting to take more space in your life than it should, the California Office of Problem Gambling has free, confidential support available 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER or online at problemgambling.ca.gov. Look out for yourself and the people around you.