Withdraw the proposed cardroom regulation
Signed Petition to Attorney General Rob Bonta
Dear Attorney General Rob Bonta,
We, the undersigned citizens of California, respectfully urge you to reconsider and withdraw the proposed cardroom regulations regarding blackjack-style games and the rotation of the player-dealer position.
If adopted, these rules would severely harm the cardroom industry, putting thousands of jobs and local businesses at risk. Cardrooms provide vital employment opportunities and contribute significantly to local economies, especially in communities where few other economic engines exist. These are not just entertainment venues, they are responsible employers and revenue generators for cities across the state.
The proposed regulations are an effort to regulate cardrooms out of existence and redirect gaming revenues into the hands of a few powerful tribal casinos. The regulations would potentially deny local residents the ability to enjoy gaming in their own cities and towns, decimate thriving businesses, and devastate working families, all while ignoring the century-and-a-half legal tradition of local, licensed, and already heavily regulated cardroom gaming.
For almost 10 years, Tribes have tried to limit cardrooms so they can monopolize California’s gaming industry. Courts and regulators have said again and again that cardroom games are legal. But now, the Attorney General is thinking about giving the Tribes what they want: new rules that would make it nearly impossible for cardrooms to stay open – hurting the local communities and economies that rely on them.
Cardrooms fund essential city services such as police, fire departments, emergency response, and parks through local tax revenues. Eliminating or weakening them would force local governments to cut critical programs that residents rely on.
Furthermore, driving patrons away from licensed, regulated venues increases the risk of unregulated and illegal gaming, creating more enforcement burdens for local law enforcement and less protection for players.
The cardroom industry has operated safely and legally for decades under existing rules. These new regulations are unnecessary and harmful. For these reasons, we strongly urge you to abandon the proposed regulations and protect the livelihoods, local economies, and public services that depend on cardrooms.
We, the undersigned 1,000 Californians, urge you to:
- Withdraw the proposed cardroom regulations immediately.
- Protect local jobs, small businesses, and city revenues.
- Preserve fair competition and uphold California’s legal cardroom industry.
Attorney General Bonta, the future of dozens of communities and thousands of livelihoods depends on this decision. We call on you to stand with working Californians, not against them.