• 18+ Casinos In San Diego
• 18 Plus Casino San Diego

1. In the Southern California community of El Cajon (30 minutes east of San Diego), Sycuan Casino welcomes 18-year-olds to the casino floor to play any game. Enjoy video poker and slots, poker rooms and 63 tables with games like three-card poker, Caribbean stud and Pai Gow. You can bet on the horses and play bingo, too. Sycuan has resort accommodations located about two miles from the casino with golf, a full-service spa and dining.
2. Find 16 listings related to Casinos 18 And Over in San Diego on YP.com. See reviews, photos, directions, phone numbers and more for Casinos 18 And Over locations in San Diego, CA.
3. Developed by Native Americans on their tribal lands, San Diego's casinos reflect another facet of the rich cultural diversity in this region. With a thriving community of 18 tribes, San Diego has the largest tribal concentration of any single county in the U.S. —many of them contributing in the region's successful gaming business.

Barona is located between Lakeside and Ramona, 30 miles northeast of downtown San Diego. The legal gambling age at Barona Casino is 18. While the legal age for gambling in California is also 18, many tribal casinos in California set an age limit of 21 in order to comply with their alcohol license. The Barona Resort & Casino Lakeside is located Northwest of San Diego. Thousands of slot machines await the gambling fans 24/7. The gaming offer includes also hundreds of gaming tables such as Blackjack, Roulette, Free Bet Blackjack, EZ Pai Gow Poker, EZ Baccarat, Craps, Super Fun 21 or Let it Ride.

If you’ve just recently become a legal adult, you might wonder where you can go to gamble as an 18-year-old in California. With some exceptions, many legal casinos or card rooms in California will let you enter as soon as you turn 18. The same goes for any online gambling apps, although these are very limited because of California’s strict gambling legislation.

Here we will break down where you can enjoy 18+ gambling in the Golden State.

California Indian Casinos: Gambling Options For 18+

The legal gambling age is 18-years-old on all land under California jurisdiction. Because Indian casinos technically operate on reservation land, they aren’t beholden to California legislation. They can set their own legal gambling age to some extent (with some government oversight). Because of this, some Indian casinos allow anyone 18-years-old or older to enter, while others have a higher minimum of 21-years-old.

The reason for this is that some Indian casinos serve alcohol on open gambling floors or otherwise make it very easy for anyone to obtain alcohol, even while following licensing verification practices. They set their legal entrance ages to 21-years-old to prevent any instances of underage drinking on their premises.

This means it’s important to always double-check whether a tribal casino has a legal age of 18-years-old or 21-years-old before making the trip. Most tribal casinos follow the 21-year-old rule. However, there are more than 20 (out of 63) that currently allow 18-year-olds to enter.

Northern California 18+ Casinos

Northern California casinos are usually based around Sacramento or San Francisco: the two largest metropolitan areas in the top half of the state. These resorts run from large to very small, featuring diverse themes and lots of different gambling activities that range from slot machines to lottery games to blackjack and other electronic games. Most tribal casinos are located in the southern half of the state, but there are still plenty of worthwhile ones to check out north of Fresno.

Here are some of the best Northern California 18+ casinos:

Table Mountain Casino

Just 20 miles north of Fresno, this casino is due for a big renovation over the next few years. For now, it includes several thousand gaming machines and over 40 table games. It also offers 10 poker tables for reserved or spur-of-the-moment Sit’N’Go games. The casino is currently looking into creating an adjacent hotel, but there are plenty of other accommodations nearby as well. Dining and live entertainment activities round out its offerings.

Lucky Bear Casino

A smaller tribal casino totaling 5000 ft.², Lucky Bear is one of the most northern tribal casinos in California. It’s nestled in the beautiful mountains and features dozens of slot machines and other games. It’s an ideal place to gamble and relax while touring the Northern California wilderness or road tripping up the coast.

Elk Valley Casino

This Northern California casino is open 24 hours daily. It features 23,000 ft.² of gaming space, 11 table and poker games, and over 300 distinct gaming machines. These are available alongside a single restaurant for convenient dining access.

Southern California 18+ Casinos

Southern California casinos outnumber their Northern California counterparts by a fair margin, and they’re mostly concentrated around Los Angeles, Fresno, and San Diego. They also include plenty of spas to take advantage of the typically relaxing, sunny Southern California ambiance. Additionally, many of the casinos feature entertainment venues reflecting a focus on the show business industry. These venues often utilize iconography or themes that draw from Hollywood or other iconic neighborhoods.

Here are some of the best Southern California 18+ casinos:

Morongo Casino Resort Spa

This casino is a perfect choice if you want to mix some spa time with your gambling activities. It’s very close to Palm Springs and has over 150,000 ft.² in total with nearly 3,000 slot machines. It also includes a poker room and 13 reserve poker tables for private games, plus a variety of spa and resort amenities like massages services, and pool access.

Tachi Palace Casino Resort

This famous casino is located in Lemoore just south of Central California. It’s one of the best casinos in the region, with over 2,000 slot machines, a seven-table poker room, and a 255-room hotel and spa. Several restaurants and other dining venues nearby make it a great place for general relaxation and vacationing.

Full List of 18+ California Casinos

Sweepstakes Online Casinos In California 18+

There are a few ways you can enjoy 18+ online gambling in California even though the activity is broadly illegal. One way is by using sweepstakes sites. Sweepstakes sites technically don’t have you gamble with real money. Instead, you play with digital Sweeps Coins or other types of fake currency.

Because you aren’t gambling with real money, California’s anti-gambling legislation does not ban the activity. Chumba Casino and LuckyLand Slots are great examples of online sweepstakes casinos.

LuckyLand Slots offers hundreds of digital slot games if those are your favorite. Chumba Casino, on the other hand, offers a broader online casino experience and provides several options for digital table games. Of course, you have to be 18-years-old or older to sign up for either website.

Sweepstakes Online Poker In California 18+

Sweepstakes poker, which also follows the sweepstakes gaming model, is another option that circumvents anti-gambling legislation in California. Global Poker is really the only option you should consider, as it’s a well-regulated and well-designed website that allows you to find poker games against human opponents any time, all over the world. It’s also legal in most US states.

Global Poker offers two classic poker games: Texas or Omaha Hold’Em. You can purchase digital currency or get free bonus Sweeps Coins just by playing regular poker games. These coins can be redeemed for cash prizes, which adds a little bit of excitement to every game.

Traffic is fairly consistent, so it shouldn’t be difficult to get a game even if you want to play during the middle of the week when most people (in your location) are at work. There are some daily and weekly tournaments offered as well, although the Sit’N’Go format of poker is by far the most common type.

Be aware that poker tables can vary dramatically. Skill level matches are hit or miss, so you might sit down with one game and dominate the competition, only to find yourself drastically outmatched during the next.

See our full Review of Global Poker in California.

Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) In California 18+

Daily fantasy sports in California is still a gray legal area. In short, daily fantasy sports is neither legal nor illegal because there isn’t any California legislation outright stating either position. Big daily fantasy sports operators like DraftKings and FanDuel have so far managed to continue providing DFS without challenge.

Currently, anti-gambling legislation in California only bans players from wagering real money on games of chance. However, DFS operators claim that fantasy sports is a skill-based wagering activity.

Until California legislation rules one way or the other, both DraftKings and FanDuel are excellent online DFS apps that anyone 18-years-old or older can enjoy.

Signing up for either app is pretty easy, and both providers offer intuitive user interfaces that look remarkably alike when you see them side by side. Both also provide opening bonuses, although DraftKings’ is much better, with a $500 deposit match guarantee and some free site credit.

You’ll also be able to enjoy tons of sports lineups and activities, ranging from major leagues like the NFL or NBA to women’s leagues or international soccer. The apps even have some options for eSports.

California 18+ Gambling FAQ

If you’ve recently turned 18-years-old, be sure to have an up-to-date version of your driver’s license or government-issued ID.

Yes. However, in California, the only online gambling apps that are legal are for daily fantasy sports and horse racing. These apps will ask for your date of birth and your Social Security number to verify your information before allowing you to make an account.

No. Sports betting currently isn’t legal anywhere in the state. However, tribal organizations may bring this to their brick-and-mortar casinos in the near future.

Not likely. The law is there to prevent underage drinkers from gaining access alcohol, not necessarily to stop them from gambling.

There are slightly more in Southern California. In general, you’ll find more casinos or card rooms around big cities anywhere in the state.

LATEST UPDATES: Tracking COVID-19 Racial Justice

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

By Amita Sharma

Credit: Barona Resort & Casino

Above: People entering the Barona Resort and Casino in this undated photo.

Even though schools and businesses have mostly shut down to stop the spread of the coronavirus, several San Diego County casinos remained open Wednesday and won't shut down until Friday.

The bright lights outlining the words “Welcome Home” were turned on just above the doors at Barona Casino on Wednesday morning.

Aired 3/19/20 on KPBS News

Listen to this story by Amita Sharma.

Inside, people — including a number of seniors — played the slot machines and blackjack tables. Many sat next to each other, violating social distancing recommendations.

Over the past week, county officials have prohibited gatherings of 50 or more and on Wednesday reduced the number to 10. Meanwhile, Gov. Gavin Newsom is asking seniors to stay at home.

“We specifically included casinos in the examples of places where gatherings are prohibited,” said county spokesman Michael Workman on Wednesday.

Yet, the casinos are owned by Native American tribes that are considered sovereign nations and are not subject to state and county laws. This is why a recently issued county order does not demand, but 'respectfully requests the cooperation of the Tribal Governments in ensuring the Public Health Officer’s Order regarding gatherings….”

But the casinos had been ignoring the order. On Wednesday morning, for example, KPBS journalists observed at least 100 people in the Barona Casino.

One of those people was an elderly man, who did not want to give his name. He said he brought his wife to the casino to play the slot machines so she would have “something to do.”

Casino officials did not grant KPBS an interview. However, hours after KPBS’s visit, Barona and other tribal casinos in the county announced they were closing temporarily, beginning Friday.

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Amita Sharma
Investigative Reporter

As an investigative reporter for KPBS, I've helped expose political scandals and dug into intractable issues like sex trafficking. I've raised tough questions about how government treats foster kids. I've spotlighted the problem of pollution in poor neighborhoods. And I've chronicled corporate mistakes and how the public sometimes ends up paying for them.

18+ Casinos In San Diego

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