Auburn, WA Gambling & Gaming: Card Room Licensing (2026)
Key Facts
- Card room tax
- 4% of gross receipts, ACC 3.80.060
- License required
- state gambling license plus city license
- Report filed with
- Auburn police chief and finance director
- Penalty
- misdemeanor under ACC 1.24.010
- Collection remedy
- lien on operator's property, ACC 3.80.085
- Other game tax rates
- bingo/raffles 5%, punchboards/pull-tabs 10%
Summary
Auburn 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 social card game receipts at 4% under ACC 3.80.060. Unlicensed operation or unpaid tax is enforced as a misdemeanor under ACC 1.24.010.
E. “Public card room” means that area of the business being commercially stimulated set aside for the playing of card games. ... B. On and after January 1, 1982, no person, firm or corporation shall engage in or carry on any business, occupation, act or privilege taxable under this chapter unless licensed by the city to do so under ACC Title 5. ... With respect to social card games, there shall be a city tax levied in the amount of four percent of the gross amount received therefrom.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 7023, passed July 6, 2026).
Full Breakdown
020(B) additionally requires a city business license under ACC Title 5 before engaging in any gambling activity taxable under the chapter. 040. 62 ACC. 085, unpaid gambling taxes become a lien on the operator's real and personal property used in the gambling activity, attaching on the due date and ranking with the same priority as ad valorem property taxes.
Violations & Fines
ACC 3.80.090 makes a violation of Chapter 3.80 a misdemeanor punishable under ACC 1.24.010, on top of any civil remedies the city can pursue to collect delinquent gambling taxes and any separate penalties the Washington State Gambling Commission imposes for operating without, or in violation of, a state card room license. The city can also enforce the ACC 3.80.085 lien against the operator's property to recover unpaid card room taxes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Auburn allow card rooms?
What tax does Auburn charge card rooms?
What counts as a 'public card room' under Auburn's code?
What happens if a card room doesn't pay Auburn's tax?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Auburn
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Card Room Licensing in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle card room licensing.