Carlsbad, CA Gambling & Gaming: Card Room Licensing (2026)
Key Facts
- New cardrooms
- prohibited citywide (§ 5.12.020)
- Grandfathered cardrooms
- frozen, no expansion (§ 5.12.030)
- Max penalty
- $1,000 fine, 6 months jail
- Existing cardroom limits
- 5 tables, 8 players/table
- Daily hours (existing)
- closed 2 a.m. to 10 a.m.
- Adopted
- Ordinance 6083, 1988
Summary
Carlsbad bans cardrooms outright. Municipal Code § 5.12.020 makes it unlawful to operate any cardroom where cards are played for money, profit or other consideration, with only narrow exceptions for cardrooms that were already lawfully operating in 1988 and for recreational card games at the Carlsbad Senior Center. Violators face a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000.00 and six months in county jail.
It is unlawful for any person to engage in or carry on, or to maintain or conduct, or cause to be engaged in, carried on, maintained or conducted any cardroom in the city for the purpose of playing cards or games of chance where cards are used for money, profit, barter or where other consideration exchanges hands. This is not intended to prohibit the recreational playing of cards in single-family homes where no consideration passes to the owner of such single-family residence by virtue of such recreational playing.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 5007221; v20 updated 2026-06-16).
Full Breakdown
' The ban does not reach purely recreational card games in single-family homes where no consideration passes to the homeowner. 025 carves out a further exception for lawful card games at the Carlsbad Senior Center under rules the City Manager sets. 00 for other permitted games) plus a percentage-of-revenue fee that rises from 7% to 9% as monthly gross revenue increases. Any grandfathered license automatically voids if the licensee doesn't begin operating within six months of issuance or ceases operating for 30 days or more.
Violations & Fines
Operating a cardroom in violation of Chapter 5.12, including opening a new cardroom after the 1988 ban took effect, is a misdemeanor under § 5.12.170, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000.00, up to six months in county jail, or both. The Chief of Police may also revoke or suspend any grandfathered cardroom license or work permit for cause, subject to appeal to the City Council within 10 days under § 5.12.050.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you open a new cardroom in Carlsbad?
Are there any exceptions to Carlsbad's cardroom ban?
What happens if a Carlsbad cardroom breaks the operating rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Carlsbad
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Card Room Licensing in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Diego County handle card room licensing.