Card Room Licensing
Gambling & Gaming
Local licensing or prohibition of card rooms and poker clubs, in states like California a card room may operate only where the city has adopted its own authorizing ordinance, so the local chapter controls tables, hours, and fees.
How Card Room Licensing Rules Differ by Place
Alameda, CA: Alameda Bans Card Games Played for Money
Heavy RestrictionsAlameda's Municipal Code doesn't license card rooms; it bans card games played for money outright under Sec. 4-48.5, with a narrow exception for whist or bridge tournaments played for…
Arcadia, CA: City of Arcadia, California Public Card Room Prohibition
Heavy RestrictionsIn the City of Arcadia, California, Section 4212.2 of the Municipal Code flatly bars operating a public card room, public game room or any public place where poker, card games or games…
Baldwin Park, CA: Baldwin Park Card Room and Gambling Ban
Heavy RestrictionsBaldwin Park bans card rooms outright. Section 132.03 makes it unlawful for anyone to deal, play, carry on, open or conduct any game played with cards, dice or any other device for…
Auburn, WA: Auburn Card Room Licensing and Tax
Some RestrictionsAuburn allows licensed card rooms under Chapter 3.80 ACC, but every operator needs both a Washington State Gambling Commission license and a city business license, and the city taxes…
Cowlitz County, WA: Cowlitz County Social Card Game Tax
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Cowlitz County has no separate card-room licensing ordinance; instead it taxes card games directly. CCC § 10.30.195 levies a 20 percent tax on the gross receipts of any…
Federal Way, WA: Federal Way Card Room Gambling Tax Rules
Some RestrictionsFederal Way lets any established food-or-drink business run social card games as a commercial stimulant once state-licensed under RCW 9.46, but taxes the activity at 10 percent of…
Card Room Licensing Rules by State
Statewide law governs this topic in many states. Each entry links to that state's full page.
California
Significant RestrictionsCalifornia's Gambling Control Act bars any city or county from issuing a gambling license to a cardroom unless a local ordinance authorizes it first: one adopted by voters after…
Florida
Significant RestrictionsFlorida cardrooms operate only inside licensed pari-mutuel facilities, dog tracks, horse tracks, and jai alai frontons, under a license from the Florida Gaming Control Commission. Fla…
Montana
Some RestrictionsMontana never built freestanding card rooms: it licenses live card tables inside the bars, restaurants, and clubs that already hold on-premises liquor licenses. Under MCA 23-5-306, an…
Washington
Significant RestrictionsWashington's Gambling Commission is the only licensing authority for commercial card rooms statewide. RCW 9.46.070(2) lets the commission issue one-year licenses to food-and-drink…
Cities & Counties with Card Room Licensing Rules
141 locations
California
Other Gambling & Gaming Topics
Game Room Regulations
County and city regulation of game rooms and coin-operated amusement machines (eight-liners), including permits, location restrictions, hours of operation, and inspection rules.
Charitable Bingo and Raffles
Bingo, raffles, and games of chance run by charities, including states like New York where the games are lawful only in municipalities that have locally adopted the state licensing…
Social Gambling Rules
Whether private, social card games are exempt from gambling prohibitions, a carve-out defined in state law, plus any local rules layered on top of it.
Casino Zoning Districts
Zoning for casinos and gaming floors where they exist, gaming-enterprise districts, casino overlay districts, and the land-use rules governing where gaming may operate.
Sports Betting Law
Who governs sports wagering, a state-licensed activity everywhere it is legal, so the rules live in state statute and gaming-commission regulations rather than city code.