Blackjack or bust? New CA laws could ban card room table games

Blackjack, the popular casino card game, could get banned at card rooms and certain casinos across California.

The state’s Department of Justice is proposing new gambling restrictions that would eliminate loopholes that have allowed state-licensed card rooms, such as Club One Casino and The 500 Club Casino in the Fresno area, to offer gambling card games like blackjack and other “banked games.”

Banked games are considered games in which a player goes against the dealer, as is the case in games such as blackjack and baccarat.

Native American tribal-owned casinos, such as Table Mountain Casino and Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino, do not fall under these proposed restriction and would still offer banked games like blackjack — also commonly referred to as 21.

“It’s a competitive overreach by the tribal owners,” said Kyle Kirkland, president of the California Gaming Association and owner of Club One Casino in Fresno. “They don’t like the fact that card rooms are competing with them. So they’re pressuring the attorney general.

“If we can’t offer the table games, that’s 50% of our revenue. If you take 50% out of your home budget, you’re going to feel it and probably have to move. So this proposal, it would be fatal for card rooms. That’s not good for our employees or people.”

In addition, critics of the measure argue it would “significantly cripple municipalities that heavily rely on the tax revenue for community programs such as public safety projects and senior programs,” according to media website Casino Beats.

Millions at stake under proposed CA card room regulations

Casino Beats also cited a Standardized Regulatory Impact Assessment (SRIA) report, prepared by Berkeley Economic Advising and Research, that claimed the proposed state-wide rules would result in losses of $464 million for card rooms. Tribal casinos, meanwhile, would expect to gain $232 million.

The SRIA also forecasted that card rooms would lose 364 full-time jobs per year over the next decade.

Club One, located at Granite Park after moving from downtown Fresno in September 2021 following the pandemic shutdown, employs 250 people and generates some $1 million in annual tax revenues for Fresno.

Club One specializes in Texas Hold ‘Em but does offer table games, including two slightly modified versions of blackjack — Spanish 21.5 blackjack and Pure 21.5 blackjack.

A similar gaming setup is offered at the 500 Club Casino, which is located at the northeast corner of Shaw and Willow avenues along the city limit borders of Clovis and Fresno.

Card rooms are not legally allowed to play “banked” games, where the house is pit against players. However, a loophole has helped them around the restriction.

Instead, card rooms use a complex system of “player-bankers” employed by Third-Party Providers of Proposition Player Services (TPPPPS) and offer a modified version of blackjack. The AG’s office argues the modified version of blackjack is different from the real thing in name only.

A protest was held Thursday outside Attorney General Rob Bonta’s Fresno office against the proposed regulations .

The proposed regulations threaten to eliminate hundreds of jobs in Fresno, according to protesters, which included card room employees.

Kirkland pointed out how card rooms contribute to the city general fund and are contributors to many nonprofit organizations.

He added that the benefits and income that dealers make provide job opportunities that would be difficult to match in other career fields with similar experience/education.

“Eliminating these card games from card rooms would have a big impact on the people of Fresno and Clovis, and especially other communities that are highly dependent on card rooms.

“There seems to be a concerted effort to eliminate tax-paying card rooms when most people might not realize how much we contribute to the community.”

Tribal casinos vs. card rooms

The proposed ban on banked card games like blackjack at card rooms was heightened this month after a Sacramento Superior Court judge shut down tribal casinos’ attempt to sue card rooms for being in violation of state law.

Tribes were provided the chance to sue through a 2024 law, Senate Bill 549, authored by then-state Sen. Josh Newman from Fullerton, and are expected to appeal the ruling.

The Attorney General’s office would now have to make the move to regulate card rooms, which an impact assessment commissioned by the office estimates would reduce patronage by about 50 percent, and have ripple effects on jobs and city tax revenue.

“Right now we have a fair balance,” said Capitol Casino worker Chris Linger. “Tribal casinos have slot machines and full-scale gaming, while card rooms offer table games that help sustain local economies.”

The Sacramento Bee contributed to this report.

This story was originally published October 23, 2025 at 1:33 PM.