Los Angeles might be one of America’s biggest cities, but it is up for debate as to whether or not true casino gambling exists in LA. Today, we are going to talk about the situation and also let you know where you can gamble in the Greater Los Angeles area. To find out more, read on.
Online options
Before we really get going, we need to point out that it’s not just physical, bricks-and-mortar casinos that Angelenos can visit. People who want to gamble can log onto one of the many online casinos available to California residents. Even though, at least according to Card Player, they are not licensed by the state of California, that doesn’t mean people don’t use them. In fact, some people might even prefer the convenience of being able to gamble from the comfort of their own home to the potential hassle of finding a casino, complying with any dress code, and traveling to and from the site. And, the area is home to plenty of other entertainment options, such as theatre performances, live music events, and a variety of culture and music festivals happening throughout the year.
LA’s casino history
We should also talk about the history of casinos and gambling in LA. Gambling has, in one form or another, been part of Los Angeles’ public life since at least the early 1890s. We know this because, in 1891, the authorities banned all card games, except for draw poker. Fast forward to 1928 and, despite a statewide ban on most forms of gambling, the Californian authorities’ jurisdiction only extended to three miles from the shore. Because gambling wasn’t subject to a federal ban, a boat anchored a little over three miles from land in the Pacific Ocean could hold gambling, so many did. However, by the late 1940s, the state had reasserted its authority and closed the floating casinos.
Around the same time, the highly popular card halls in the city of Los Angeles itself were closed, with residents having to head out to Los Angeles County cities such as Gardena to get involved in player vs player card games. While the sector did see some growth, it was not until 2000 that casino games on California’s tribal lands were given the official seal of approval.
Card rooms
The key thing to point out here is that, by law, there are no legal, licensed, traditional, Las Vegas-style casinos with circus, music, and other forms of entertainment and shows in the city of Los Angeles itself. What you can find instead, however, are card rooms. These are places where, as their name suggests, you can play card games, such as poker, against other human players. Perhaps confusingly for people who aren’t from the city, these venues often have the word casino in their name, even if they don’t have the games, such as slot machines, dice, or roulette, that you might expect them to have.
Instead, all the games are player-banked card games, meaning that you cannot play against the house. Although this might seem like a somewhat unusual way to do things, it can’t be denied that these venues are the place to be for a lot of players in the LA area. Venues like the Commerce Casino, the Hollywood Park Casino in Inglewood, and the Bicycle Hotel & Casino in Bell Gardens are popular with people who like to test both their skill and luck at poker, pai gow, and Baccarat.
The nearest big casinos to LA
If, however, we widen our search to the wider LA metropolitan area, there are a lot of other options for players. Moving out into nearby Riverside County, there are nine casinos for gamblers to try out, all on Native American tribal land. With the casinos all featuring house-backed card games, as well as slot machines, roulette, and more, they are the local destination of choice for a lot of Los Angeles gamblers. For what it’s worth, the Riverside County casinos are:
- Agua Caliente Casino Palm Springs.
- Agua Caliente Casino, Rancho Mirage.
- Augustine Casino, Rancho Mirage.
- Cahuilla Creek Casino, Anza.
- Fantasy Springs Resort and Casino, Indio.
- Marongo Casino, Resort, and Spa, Cabazon.
- Pechanga Resort and Casino, Temecula.
- Soboba Casino Resort, San Jacinto.
- Spotlight 29 Casino, Coachella.
The California Lottery
One final thing that you might have forgotten about. People in Los Angeles can always take part in some of the many games organized by the California Lottery. The lottery, which has been running since 1985, also includes the multi-state Powerball game, which broke records with a $2.04 billion jackpot in 2023, and made a record $9.27 billion in the 2023/24 financial year.