The best sports betting sites in California 2024

BetRivers

While BetRivers has become famous for its online sportsbook, it also operates a social sportsbook platform called BetRivers.net. You can use this site to wager on sports using bonus free currency, enjoying the thrill of making predictions without spending any money. There are dozens of different sports you can wager on with thousands of betting markets. This includes pre-game and in-play betting options for teams like the LA Dodgers, San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, and many more CA sports teams.

There is currently no welcome bonus available for the BetRivers.net social sportsbook. However, new customers can claim free credits to use for betting every four hours and spin the daily prize wheel to win up to 1000 free credits.

Boom Fantasy

You can download Boom Fantasy for your Apple device and use the ‘Best Fantasy Sports App’ of 2018. You’ll find DFS games on all major league sports and some niche sports like the MLS. You can also play games where you answer multiple questions about a major sporting event. Get all the questions correct, and you are in with a chance of winning the jackpot.

ESPN Fantasy

ESPN Fantasy is a traditional season-long fantasy sports site and app that gives you the chance to build a roster to manage for a season. You can compete in leagues with friends or play platform-wide competitions with the opportunity to win prizes at the end of the season.

Yahoo! Fantasy

Yahoo! Fantasy offers daily and season-long fantasy options for NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL. There are expert guides giving lineup tips and suggesting under-the-radar sleeper picks. Yahoo! Fantasy has a great, easy-to-use app for playing fantasy sports on the move.

Football betting

California boasts three NFL franchises, two of which, the LA Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers, relocated to Los Angeles in 2016 and 2015, respectively. The LA Rams have won two Super Bowls since forming in 1936, the last of which was Super Bowl LVI in 2022. The Chargers have always been in CA, forming in Los Angeles in 1959 and moving to San Diego in 1961. However, the franchise has only made one Super Bowl appearance in 1994.

Named after the 1849 California Gold Rush, the San Francisco 49ers are the most successful football team in California. The 49ers have won five Super Bowl Championships, thanks to legends such as Joe Montana, Charles Haley, Ronnie Lott, and Jerry Rice. Until 2020, the Golden State was also the home of the Oakland Raiders, but the team has since relocated to Las Vegas. The Raiders have three Super Bowl Championships and remain a well-supported team in CA.

The NFL and Californian NFL teams’ involvement in the lobbying for sports betting means it’ll likely be a prominent market if wagering becomes legal in the Golden State.

Baseball betting

There are five MLB franchises playing baseball in California, each with a passionate base of supporters. The LA Dodgers relocated to LA from Brooklyn in 1958 and have won a record 24 National League Pennants, alongside seven World Series. The 6x World Series-winning San Francisco Giants is one of the oldest baseball teams in the world, founded in 1883 in New York before moving to San Francisco in 1958. Most of the Giants’ historic success came before the move to the west coast, with a 56-year gap between its relocation and its next World Series win in 2010.

The LA Angels won its first World Series in 2022 and added two-time MVP player Shohei Ohtani to its strong squad. The Oakland Athletics relocated to California in 1968 and have since won four World Series, with players like Reggie Jackson, Mark McGwire, and Jose Canseco. The San Diego Padres fans have had no such joy, with two World Series losses and only 13 winning seasons up to 2021.

The MLB publicly declared its support for Proposition 27 to legalize online sports betting in California. Any sportsbooks that launch in the future will likely offer a wide variety of betting on “America’s National Pastime”.

Basketball betting

California is the most successful state by NBA Championships across its four franchises. The Los Angeles Lakers are the joint most-successful team in NBA history, with the Boston Celtics, on 17 championships. Notable previous and current players include legends like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and LeBron James. Eight players have won the MVP while at the Lakers.

The most dominant Californian basketball team since 2010 has been the Golden State Warriors, led by players like Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. The Warriors have won four championships under Steve Kerr in the last ten years.

The LA Clippers and Sacramento Kings have been somewhat less successful. The Clippers are the oldest team in the NBA never to have won a championship. Meanwhile, the Sacramento Kings have been equally unlucky, with 2022 marking its 16th consecutive losing season in a row.

The Sacramento Kings have signed a partnership with the Red Hawk Casino, which may be able to offer sports betting in the future if Proposition 26 passes. Whether retail or online California sportsbooks launch, NBA betting will be available.

Ice hockey betting

Despite the warm weather in the Golden State, three ice hockey franchises are still playing in the NHL. The LA Kings gained popularity between 1988 and 1996 when Wayne Gretzky played for the team, but its most-successful period saw two Stanley Cup victories in 2012 and 2014. The Anaheim Ducks are named after Disney’s famous “The Mighty Ducks” movie and won the Stanley Cup in 2007. The San Jose Sharks were founded in 1991 but are yet to win ice hockey’s biggest trophy.

FanDuel is an official supporter of Proposition 27 and a betting partner of the NHL. Therefore, NHL betting lines like pucklines, totals, player props, and more will all be available when sports betting becomes legal.

Soccer betting

Two MLS teams call CA home: LA Galaxy and LAFC. Galaxy has won five MLS Cups and former players include David Beckham and Steven Gerrard. On the other hand, LAFC is an expansion team founded in 2018 that won the Supporters Shield in 2019. The San Jose Earthquakes used to play in the state but have since relocated and been renamed to become the Houston Dynamos.

BetMGM is the official betting partner of the MLS and one of the top betting sites most likely to launch in the Golden State. You’ll find tons of betting lines for US soccer through this sportsbook and most others that go live in California. Many betting sites will also provide coverage of top European and international competitions, including the English Premier League, Champions League, and World Cup.

NCAA football betting

California is known as the Great Heisman State because so many CA players have won the trophy. There are dozens of successful NCAA Division I programs in the Golden State, including the Stanford University Cardinals, the University of California Golden Bears, the University of California, and the Los Angeles Bruins. However, the University of Southern California Trojans has been the most successful, securing 11 national championships.

The regulations for college sports betting vary from professional sports to protect young athletes from pressure and the negatives of gambling. It won’t be certain what the college wagering market will be like until sports betting is signed into law. However, Proposition 27 has promised to legalize college betting in some capacity.

NCAA basketball betting

California is home to many successful college basketball teams, including UCLA and its 11 national championships. That basketball program produced NBA MVP winner and Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul Jabbar. The University of San Francisco Dons is the college with the next most national championships after winning two. Each of California’s 27 NCAA Division I college athletic teams runs a basketball program, with many also running a women’s program.

Sports betting Proposition 26 would not allow wagering on college sports if passed. However, Proposition 27 would enable college sports betting. Strategic analysis and research firm Eilers & Krejcik rate a less than 50% chance that either bill passes.

Motorsport betting

California hosts two major NASCAR and three major IndyCar Series races each year. The Long Beach Grand Prix is a famous IndyCar race held annually in Long Beach and perhaps the best known of these races. A NASCAR Cup Series race is held annually at the Auto Club Speedway Fontana, alongside a 2nd tier Xfinity Series Race and an IndyCar race. The Sonoma Raceway is another IndyCar and NASCAR host, with an annual NASCAR Cup Series race and a summer IndyCar Grand Prix.

Wagering on all NASCAR and IndySeries races, alongside international racing like Formula 1, will likely be available at Californian sportsbooks if sports betting becomes legal.

Golf betting

Multiple PGA Tour events come to visit California, notably the state’s well-respected Cypress Point Club, Olympic Club, Pebble Beach Golf Links, Riviera Country Club Pacific Palisades California, and Torrey Pines Golf Course locations. The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Northern Trust Open, and Farmers Insurance Open are well-known tournaments that are commonly held at these locations. California also has a strong history of producing the world’s best golfers, with Tiger Woods hailing from the Golden State.

Betting on Californian golf, alongside PGA tours worldwide, will likely be available if sports betting becomes legal in the Golden State.

Tennis betting

Though California does not host a major international tennis tournament, the BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells Master, and the USTA LA Tennis Open are all played in the state. You can expect all Grand Slam tennis matches to be available through your chosen California sportsbook if sports betting is legalized.