A San Francisco Superior Court judge has ruled that California gambling regulators overstepped their legal authority when they attempted to impose statewide restrictions on cardroom games, delivering a major victory for the state’s cardroom industry and the cities that depend on it for revenue. Judge Richard Darwin issued the decision Tuesday, concluding that the Bureau of Gambling Control, which operates within Attorney General Rob Bonta’s Department of Justice, lacked the power to enact broad prohibitions on games across California through […]

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A San Francisco Superior Court judge has temporarily blocked California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s proposed cardroom regulations, allowing casinos across the state to continue offering blackjack-style games while a legal battle over the rules proceeds. Judge Richard Darwin issued a preliminary injunction Thursday that prevents the state’s Bureau of Gambling Control from enforcing the regulations during ongoing litigation brought by the California Gaming Association (CGA). The court determined the bureau likely exceeded its authority by adopting rules that would effectively […]

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California’s cardroom industry has filed two lawsuits seeking to stop new gambling regulations that operators say could eliminate popular blackjack-style games and threaten the economic foundation of cardrooms across the state. The legal challenges were submitted Monday in San Francisco Superior Court by the California Gaming Association, with support from the California Cardroom Alliance and Communities for California Cardrooms. The lawsuits target rules finalized by the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Gambling Control that would significantly change how cardrooms […]

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California officials have approved sweeping regulations that will bar blackjack-style games from operating in cardrooms across the state, setting up a renewed clash between commercial cardroom operators and tribal casinos. Attorney General Rob Bonta’s Department of Justice submitted two sets of regulations to the Office of Administrative Law on December 23, 2025. The office signed off on the rules late Friday, clearing the way for them to take effect April 1. Cardrooms will then have until May 31 to file […]

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A Sacramento County Superior Court judge has dismissed a major lawsuit brought by California’s tribal casinos against the state’s cardrooms, marking another turning point in the long-running dispute over casino-style gaming rights. The tribes, who claim exclusive authority to offer games such as blackjack under state law, were granted a one-time opportunity to sue through Senate Bill 549, passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2024. However, Judge Lauri Damrell ruled that federal gambling law overrides the measure, leaving […]

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The California Gaming Association has published the results of a specially-commissioned study showing that the state’s cardrooms are responsible for some 32,425 direct and indirect jobs that annually pay out approximately $1.64 billion in combined employee benefits and wages. The California Gaming Association used an official Friday press release to declare that its examination had been conducted by niche economics research firm John Dunham and Associates Incorporated and also indicated that the cardroom industry contributes around $500 million in state […]

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In California and a trio of casino-operating tribes have reportedly lost a legal fight against the western state concerning who should be permitted to offer ‘house-banked’ card games such as blackjack and baccarat. Compact claims: According to a Thursday report from CalvinAyre.com, the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians and the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation filed suit against the state of California and Governor Gavin Newsom in January amid claims that their gaming compacts […]

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