Blackjack Out in California Cardrooms. How Many Jobs Will Vanish?

Blackjack Out in California Cardrooms. How Many Jobs Will Vanish?

On Friday, the state of California banned blackjack from being played in cardrooms, a decision that a local business owner says will cost the state tens of thousands of jobs and millions in tax revenue. “Why do I have two decades of playing these games with no harm to the public and no public complaint other than from a tribe? What’s driving that? What’s changing the law?” — Kyle Kirkland, owner, Club One Attorney General Rob Bonta’s Department…

State Approves DOJ Cardroom Rules Banning Blackjack-Style Games as Industry Warns of Mass Job Losses and City Budget Crises - Los Cerritos Community News

By Brian Hews LCCN Publisher | Follow X February 9, 2026 Sacramento — California regulators have formally cleared the way for sweeping new gambling restrictions that will eliminate blackjack-style games and impose mandatory player-dealer rotation in cardrooms statewide, despite warnings that the rules will slash jobs, gut city revenues, and destabilize dozens of municipal budgets. Late Friday, the Office of Administrative Law approved two sets o…

San Jose City Council approves sweeping changes to card room regulations

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State approves new regulations on Calif. cardrooms

Cardrooms across California plan to file a lawsuit against the state over new regulations that were pushed for by the Attorney General’s Office.  The California Gaming Association announced on Monday that it intends to pursue legal action to fight against the regulations.  The backstory: Last year, Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office proposed two new regulations for cardrooms that govern the role of player-dealers and blackjack-style games.  Th…

AG Finalizes New Cardroom Regulations That Ban Lawful Games

Regulations will Place Cities Across the State in Immediate Fiscal Distress with at least 50% of Cardroom Jobs and Revenues Eliminated SACRAMENTO – The California Gaming Association today condemned new regulations by Attorney General Rob Bonta and the Bureau of Gambling Control (Bureau) that prohibit long-approved blackjack-style and player-dealer games, slashing licensed cardroom revenues by more than half. The Bureau’s most optimistic economic…