Can I Play Online Roulette From California?
Dozens of online casino websites offer real money roulette games via your laptop or mobile devices from the state of California. Most sites these days also offer live dealer roulette.
The Live Dealer Experience
Live dealer games are hosted by real human dealers that operate in real time, thus providing an incredible immersive experience similar to that of visiting an actual casino. You can experience this from your living room, work place, even while traveling outside the state.
You can play roulette online with a real life dealer.
In the Unite States, Roulette is the most popular casino game only after Blackjack. The object of the game is to predict which pocket the ball will land in with two types of bets offered, inside and outside bets. Inside bets tend to feature higher payouts.
Types of Roulette Games
American Roulette vs. European Roulette
The European roulette wheel is has 37 pockets, numbered from 0 to 36. Compare that with the American roulette wheel that has 38 pockets, with the additional pocket being labeled as double zero (00).
European Roulette offers a better house edge than American Roulette at 2.7%.
Other Types of Roulette Games
Not all roulette variations are available at all online casinos.
- No Zero Roulette - This variation excludes the house edge.
- French Roulette - Similar to European Roulette but with two additional rules. En Prison and La Partage, both of which result in adverse consequences should the ball land on zero.
- Mini Roulette - Made exclusively for online casinos, instead of 37 or 38 pockets on the wheel, this variant uses 13 pockets. But the game also favors the house with a house edge of 7.89%.
- Double Roulette - Two balls are used instead of one but the payouts tend to be lower.
Does California Regulate Online Casino Games?
California does not currently regulate or license online casinos. Those looking to play with an online casino will be doing so with one licensed outside the US in one of the approximately dozen worldwide gaming jurisdictions including Canada's Khanawake region.
California does have a plentiful number of land-based casinos and card rooms, all of which are licensed by the state.
What is the Gambling Tax in California?
There is no gambling tax on winnings in California per se. Profits are treated just as you would normal income when filing your taxes. Be mindful that none of the online casinos accessible from the state will report your winnings. Thus, it is important to keep careful track.
- B.E. Delmer, Gambling911.com
