Baldwin Park, CA Gambling & Gaming: Card Room Licensing (2026)
Key Facts
- Local card rooms
- None authorized; games for value banned
- Governing section
- BPMC § 132.03
- Betting on prohibited games
- Also unlawful
- State cross-reference
- Cal. Penal Code §§ 320, 330, 337a
- Penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine, 6 months jail (§ 10.99)
Summary
Baldwin 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 money, checks, credit or a thing of value, so the city authorizes no licensed card room.
§ 132.03 GAMBLING PROHIBITED. It is unlawful for any person to deal, play, carry on, open or conduct any game or contest played with cards, dice, or any other device, for money, checks, credit or thing of value. Nor shall any person bet at any of the prohibited games. This section shall not be deemed or construed as prohibiting any act made unlawful by any section of the Penal Code of the state, including, but not limited to, Cal. Penal Code §§ 320, 330, and 337a.
Full Breakdown
03 of the Baldwin Park Municipal Code, in Chapter 132's general provisions on offenses against public decency, is a blanket local prohibition: it is unlawful for any person to deal, play, carry on, open or conduct any game or contest played with cards, dice, or any other device, for money, checks, credit or a thing of value, and betting on any such prohibited game is likewise barred. & Prof. ); Baldwin Park has taken the opposite path and never authorized a local card room at all.
The section closes with a savings clause noting it is not to be construed as limiting anything separately made unlawful under the state Penal Code, expressly citing Penal Code Sections 320, 330 and 337a, the state's own gambling and card-game statutes. That cross-reference means a violator can face both the city misdemeanor charge and any applicable state gambling charge for the same conduct. Because the ban traces to a 1983-code provision carried forward without amendment noted in this text, it predates and sits independent of the state's later card-room licensing framework; nothing in the current code shows the city has since opted in to allow a licensed card room within city limits.
Violations & Fines
A Section 132.03 violation is punishable under the Chapter 10 general penalty, Section 10.99: a misdemeanor carrying up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in jail, or both. Because the section also declines to preempt the state Penal Code, a defendant can additionally be charged under Cal. Penal Code Sections 320, 330 or 337a for the same gambling activity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are card rooms legal in Baldwin Park?
Can I be charged under both city and state law for illegal gambling in Baldwin Park?
Does Baldwin Park's gambling ban cover betting as well as running the game?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Baldwin Park
California rules heatmap·Compare Baldwin Park to another location·View the California gambling & gaming overview
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Card Room Licensing in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle card room licensing.