Closest Casino To San Francisco
Lake County’s premiere Casino, Marina, Hotel and RV Park
The hotels closest to the waterfront are in northern downtown San Francisco near Fishman's Wharf. Additional San Francisco area waterfront hotels can be found south of the city in Pacifica and Burlingame, which is just south of the San Francisco Airport. Located in the Alexander Valley north of the San Francisco Bay area, River Rock Casino has slot machine games of all types and values. The casino also features fine dining at the Quail Run restaurant and a player's club. Hotel accommodations are nearby.
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Covid-19 Safety Program
Konocti Vista Casino & Resort, is pleased to officially announce that on July 1st, 2020, we will be moving into phase 3 of our reopening plan. Phase 3 includes the reopening of the Hotel, RV Park, Valentino’s Restaurant, the Point Bar, Marina Bar and BBQ. As with phase 2, we are continuing our phased approach of reopening and are following all policies, practices, and guidelines established by the CA Government, CDPH, CDC and OSHA. The following are the modified hours, plus a detailed breakdown of the Safety Program for your reference. As we move forward during this new now, we know it is an ever changing environment and you have questions, so please keep checking in by phone, text, website, and/or on our Facebook for the latest updates. Thank you and we look forward to seeing all of you soon! Click the link below to read more about our Covid-19 Safety program.
Your Best Bet on the Lake
Hello, my name is Jorge Garcia. I am the General Manager at Konocti Vista Casino Resort & Marina. I would like to welcome you to our website and I hope that you find it informative and appealing. Come visit us when you have a chance and enjoy some of the newest and most exciting slot machines available. We are located right on the shores of Clear Lake, California’s largest natural lake and one of the oldest lakes in North America. My goal is to ensure that you enjoy your visit with us, whether you’re just here for a day or enjoying a weekend in our motel. If there is anything that needs to be fixed or if you would like to drop me a note to let me know how your visit was, I would appreciate it very much. My email address is generalmanager@kvcasino.com The next time you’re looking for an exciting getaway at a resort that has all of the amenities that you will need, remember Konocti Vista Casino Resort & Marina, your best bet on the lake.
Welcome to the Resort
We are a short and scenic 2 hour drive from both San Francisco and Sacramento. Our amenities include: 325 slot machines, a full service restaurant and snack bar, the Point Bar, 74 motel rooms right on the lake and adjacent to our 90 slip marina, convenience store and a full service 74 space RV Park.
Local Amenities
There is plenty of entertainment only steps from our new casino floor! From fishing for large mouth bass in Clear Lake, kayaking, bird watching, hiking Mount Konocti to visiting local wineries for wine tastings, there is something to do for everybody! We also offer a sheltered marina and boat ramp to give you access to Clear Lake with the only on-the-water gas pump on the lake!
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California is a state with a mixed gambling history. These days, it technically allows all types of gambling in one form or another. However, the specifics of where and how you can enjoy these activities are heavily dependent on location and regulations. For instance, casino games are only legal at Indian casinos rather than resorts on state land.
Below we will break down the types of gambling you can enjoy in Northern California.
Northern California Indian Casinos
Tribal casinos are currently legal in California thanks to laws between the state and federal government and the Indian tribes who maintain various territorial pockets throughout the state. At the time of writing, 63 tribal casinos operate in California. Combined, they produce over $8 billion in revenue every year.
Legality And Revenue
Indian casinos do not follow the same gambling regulations that other gambling sites do within the state. Because of this, resort-goers can find most major gambling activities within these resorts, including blackjack, poker, electronic games, slot machines, lottery games, bingo, and more. Gambling activities are either regulated by the National Indian Gaming Commission or state authorities.
Because tribal casinos drawing so much revenue, casinos often feature distinct themes or special attractions or resorts. Northern California Indian casinos are largely positioned around Sacramento or the Bay Area, although a few stretch a little farther north. Most of these resorts may have themes revolving around wine country or the NorCal wilderness and mountains.
Be advised that you need to be 21-years-old to enter most of the top Northern California tribal casinos. This is despite the fact that the legal gambling age is 18-years-old. Many casinos require you to be 21-years-old since they serve alcohol on their premises.
Northern California tribal casinos don’t currently allow sports betting, but may bring in brick-and-mortar sports betting over the next few years.
Where To Play
Some of the best Northern California tribal casinos include:
Thunder Valley Casino Resort
This casino is just outside Sacramento and is one of the largest resorts in the entire state, featuring over 145,000 ft.². It offers 2,000 slot machines and over 100 gaming tables plus options for bingo and live poker. It’s 17-story tower hotel contains 297 rooms as well as a fine selection of excellent restaurants and other amenities. The casino is open 24 hours daily.
Table Mountain Casino
This casino is located north of Fresno. It’s actually due for a renovation, as it was built in 1987. It’s going to be replaced by a larger casino and hotel over the next few years. At the moment, it offers over 2,000 gaming machines, 10 poker tables, and a plethora of other table game opportunities.
Tachi Palace Casino Resort
This resort draws customers from all across the state, thanks to its expansive space and 45,000 square-foot concert venue. As a result, it’s a frequent location for entertainment tours and activities beyond regular gambling experiences. It also offers over 2,000 slot machines and a seven-table poker room. Other features include a 255-room hotel and spa along with nine restaurants for a variety of dining opportunities.
Northern California Card Rooms
California offers some of the best card rooms in the entire country. California card rooms are legal because they have players bet against one another instead of the house. The card rooms themselves make their profit by charging players small fees to enter games. Dealers rotate with every hand.
Games Available
Most California card rooms include staple poker varieties like Texas Hold’Em and Seven-Card Stud, although you can also find additional games depending on the location. Additionally, most California card rooms offer “Cal Games”, which are card games with rules tweaked to ensure their legality under California legislation. Cal Games include Blackjack, Pai Gow, Chinese Poker, and more.
Many of the best California card rooms also offer tons of poker tournaments for both beginners and experts. This draws plenty of traffic, especially at more popular card rooms. Tournament buy-ins and pools can range from the tens of dollars up to the hundreds or thousands of dollars.
All players need to be 18-years-old to legally gamble in a California card room.
Where To Play
There are 66 card rooms currently operating in California. Here are some of the best you can find in Northern California:
Bay 101
Bay 101 is located at the south end of the San Francisco Bay in San Jose, CA. They’re a great choice thanks to their proximity to the San Jose airport, making them a prime stopover destination for travelers who get a poker itch. They offer a variety of poker games and tournaments, and frequently draw experienced crowds to offer moderate to high-skill poker action.
California Grand Casino
This casino is actually the oldest continually operating poker room in the world, as it’s been offering poker since 1854. It served as stagecoach and Pony Express stop before becoming an explicit casino. Weekly tournaments and Cal Games are included, like blackjack, pai gow, and three-card poker for even more variety. The casino was moved into a new and modern building in 2009, so it offers fresh amenities and plenty of creature comforts.
Capitol Casino
This casino is a relatively simplistic entertainment venue without a lot of bells and whistles, but they offer plenty of excellent poker action. They also offer excellent restaurant and bar options, so it’s a good place for general entertainment and enjoyment. They draw crowds from all over the Sacramento area and offer daily and weekly tournaments.
What's The Closest Casino To San Francisco
Northern California Race Tracks
Horse racing is one of the few types of wagering fully legal in California at in-person locations and online horse racing apps. Horse racing was legalized in 1933 using a pari-mutuel model. In short, this meant that bettors wager against each other while the horse track facilities take a small cut of the overall pool in order to make a profit.
Most Northern and Southern California horse racing tracks emphasize thoroughbred races, although you can find Quarter Horse races at a few select tracks. There used to be many more tracks in general, but the overall decline in attendance and several other factors have resulted in only a few major California horse tracks remaining open today.
Those who enjoy horse racing can make straight and exotic bets depending on a track’s offerings. You’ll also be able to find 27 satellite locations that offer off-track horse race betting if you don’t want to use a mobile app. There’s only one really excellent Northern California horse racing track compared to the three you can find in the southern half of the state:
Golden Gate Fields Race Track
This 140-acre horse racing track is located in Berkeley, right next to the San Francisco Bay. As a result, attendees benefit from expansive views of the local Bay Area and generally pleasant weather all year round. It’s also the only major thoroughbred racetrack in Northern California.
Golden Gate Fields features a one-mile synthetic track and a turf course that measures 9/10 of a mile. It can fit thousands of customers and features on-site parking for visitor convenience. Horse racing enthusiasts will enjoy several graded events that are held every year, including the Berkeley Handicap, San Francisco Mile Stakes, and California Derby.
Closest Casino To San Francisco
Admission is always free for children. There are plenty of comfortable facilities for both regular attendees and for those who are part of various clubs. Guests are even able to meet jockeys and see horses at the paddocks. The location is convenient since there are tons of hotels and dining options fairly nearby.
Northern California Gambling FAQ
As with Southern California, it depends on the activity in question. Gambling in general is legal only for those 18-years-old or older. However, you have to be 21-years-old to enter some Indian casinos because of alcohol restrictions.
This is largely because of the higher concentration of large metropolitan areas in the southern half of the state. Big cities like Los Angeles and San Diego have naturally drawn more gambling locations over time.
No. State authorities and the National Indian Gaming Commission are responsible for regulating all gambling institutions in California. They hold all institutions to the same standards.
Cache Creek
No. Sports betting is technically illegal. However, new legislation may allow Indian casinos to bring brick-and-mortar sports betting to their casinos.
For the purpose of this article, we define Northern California as anything north of Fresno. Big metropolitan areas in Northern California include the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento.