13 Aug Is Gambling Legal In California?
The world of American sports is electrifying. There is no shortage of sports to appeal to the crowd. There’s football, basketball, golf, swimming, cycling, sailing, and so many more options. If you really know sports, you know that there is always some major sporting event happening. This means that there are plenty of opportunities to try and make the events a little more eventful by placing bets.
There are rules and regulations that Californians must follow when it comes to betting on sporting events, including the following:
- It is legal to place bets.
- It is illegal to take a bet or be a bookie.
- It is illegal for an athlete and a bettor to conspire, where the athlete will intentionally rig or throw a game in order for the bettor to win. People who do this can face prison time and a fine of up to $5,000.
- Refs, umpires, and other in-game officials are not allowed to take bribes. Both the person who offers the bribe and the official can be put into jail and pay a $10,000 fine.
Forms of legal gambling in California include the lottery, gambling on horse races, and going to Indian/Native American casinos. Other casinos are now allowed in California, but Native American ones are permitted because they are built on sovereign Native American land. Card tables and slot machines can be found in these casinos, and anyone who is of legal age to gamble, is allowed to do so inside these casinos. A word of caution: although the minimum age to gamble is 18, many Native American casinos actually require patrons to be at least 21 to enter the premises because they serve alcohol.
