Antioch, CA Gambling & Gaming: Card Room Licensing (2026)
Key Facts
- Citywide cap
- Card rooms operating as of 9/1/2015
- Downtown limit
- One license, river to 6th, L to A Sts.
- Buffer distance
- 1,000 ft from schools, parks, churches
- Local approval
- Use permit plus Council vote required
- State overlay
- CA Gambling Control Commission license
- Automatic lapse
- 6 consecutive months of nonuse
Summary
Antioch caps licensed card rooms at those operating on September 1, 2015, allows only one downtown license, requires a city use permit plus Council approval for any new or transferred license, and bars new card rooms within 1,000 feet of schools, parks, or churches under AMC § 5-4.02.
(A) It is hereby found and determined that the public health, safety, and welfare require that the number and location of licensed card rooms in the city be limited, and the following regulations are required to fulfill such objectives: (1) The total number of licensed card rooms permitted in the city shall be no more than those in operation as of September 1, 2015 and licensed by the city on that date, unless otherwise limited by the Act or subsequent state law. ... (3) No card room license shall be granted, nor shall the transfer of the location of an existing card room license be authorized, until a use permit and the approval of the Council has first been obtained.
Full Breakdown
Antioch licenses card rooms under Antioch Municipal Code Chapter 5-4, adopted by Ordinance 2051-C-S in 2011 and amended through 2015 ordinances and a 2016 voter initiative, Measure E. for the playing of cards and similar games, the use of which table is available to the public," operating under state licenses issued by the California Gambling Control Commission per the Gambling Control Act, Cal. & Prof. Code Division 8, Chapter 5. " Subsection (5) imposes a 1,000-foot buffer from schools, hospitals, drug treatment centers, parks, libraries, churches, and other card rooms, though a card room already licensed on September 1, 2015 is grandfathered from that buffer.
06 sets the license fee under the city's Master Fee Resolution plus whatever fee the Gambling Control Commission sets, on top of the establishment's regular business license fee. 07, with a 50% penalty added if paid before revocation takes effect. or bet" at any card game for value except in a card room licensed under this chapter.
Violations & Fines
Operating an unlicensed card table or card game for value violates § 5-4.15 and Antioch's general penalty section, § 1-2.01, a misdemeanor unless the City Attorney reduces it to an infraction. Failing to pay license fees triggers a Chief of Police revocation notice under § 5-4.07, with a 50% penalty added if paid before revocation. The Council may also suspend or revoke a license under § 5-4.09 for any chapter violation or for letting card room operations become the establishment's primary business.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Antioch approve a brand-new card room today?
How close can a card room be to a school or park?
Who actually issues the gambling license, the city or the state?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Antioch
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Card Room Licensing in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Contra Costa County handle card room licensing.