Alameda, CA Gambling & Gaming: Card Room Licensing (2026)
Key Facts
- Core rule
- cards for money banned citywide (Sec. 4-48.5)
- Narrow exception
- whist/bridge tournaments, 12+ adults, prizes only
- Related ban
- keeping a gambling house (Sec. 4-49.1)
- Local card-room license
- none exists
- Nuisance remedy
- building closure, device seizure (Sec. 4-49.3)
- Default penalty
- up to $1,000 fine or 6 months jail
Summary
Alameda'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 merchandise prizes when at least twelve adults are present. There's no local authorizing ordinance for licensed card rooms.
It shall be unlawful for any person in the City to deal, play or carry on, open or cause to be opened, or to conduct or participate in, either as owner or employee or otherwise, whether for hire or not, any game played with cards, dice or any device, for money, checks, credits or any other representative of value; providing that the conducting of, or participating in, whist or bridge tournaments for merchandise or merchandise orders, where there are at least twelve (12) adult persons present, shall not be deemed a violation of this subsection.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 74).
Full Breakdown
Alameda's Municipal Code doesn't license card rooms; it bans them. Sec. 5 makes it unlawful for anyone in the City to deal, play, carry on, open or participate in any game played with cards, dice or any device for money, checks, credits or any other thing of value, whether acting as owner, employee, or otherwise, and whether paid or not. The only exception written into that section covers whist or bridge tournaments played for merchandise prizes, and only when at least twelve adults are present.
A related provision, Sec. 1, separately makes it unlawful to keep, maintain, or even visit any house or place used for the practice of gambling, or to let or sublet property knowing it will be used for that purpose. and Prof. Code Sec. , would require before a card room could legally operate here, so the state framework that lets some California cities license card rooms has no local counterpart in Alameda; the code's own gambling prohibition controls instead. Where police find a building used for illegal gambling, Sec.
3 declares it a public nuisance subject to abatement, and the sections that follow authorize the Chief of Police to notify the owner, seize gambling devices for sale, and require a one-year bond or cash deposit guaranteeing the property won't be used for gambling again, forfeited to the City if it is.
Violations & Fines
Dealing or playing cards for money anywhere in Alameda is a criminal offense; because Sec. 4-48.5 sets no separate penalty, it defaults to the City's general misdemeanor and infraction penalty in Sec. 1-5.1, up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail. A building used for gambling can be shut down as a public nuisance under Sec. 4-49.3, with gambling devices seized and sold and the owner required to post a bond or cash deposit against future use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I legally open a poker room or card club in Alameda?
Is there any card game I can legally run for prizes in Alameda?
What happens to a building where illegal card games are found in Alameda?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alameda
California rules heatmap·Compare Alameda to another location·View the California gambling & gaming overview
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Card Room Licensing in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Alameda County handle card room licensing.