Davis, CA Gambling & Gaming: Card Room Licensing (2026)
Key Facts
- License issuer
- Davis Police Chief
- Table cap
- 5 card tables per cardroom
- Player cap
- 10 players per table
- Bet cap
- $20 per player per round
- Hours
- 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m., 7 days
- Games allowed
- Draw Poker, LoBall, 7-Card Stud, Hold 'Em
- License investigation window
- 60 calendar days
Summary
Davis requires a police-chief-issued license before anyone may run a cardroom, caps every cardroom at five card tables and ten players per table, limits bets to twenty dollars per round, and restricts hours and games under Municipal Code Chapter 8A. No one may hold more than one cardroom license in the city.
It is unlawful for any person to engage in, carry on, maintain, conduct, or cause to be engaged in, carried on, maintained or conducted, any cardroom without first obtaining a valid cardroom license from the city issued pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. ... The maximum number of card tables permitted in any cardroom shall be as allowed under the Uniform Fire Code, but in no event shall more than five card tables be permitted in any cardroom. ... The only games permitted to be played in a cardroom are Draw Poker, LoBall, 7-Card Stud Poker and Texas Hold 'Em. ... Only table stakes shall be permitted. Each game shall have a maximum bet of twenty dollars per player per betting round. ... Cardroom may operate a maximum of seven days a week, 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 a.m. the following day, unless restricted by other city permits.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4915048; v22 updated 2026-05-19).
Full Breakdown
020). 050). 060). 180 sets the operating rules: no person may hold more than one cardroom license in the city, no more than one cardroom may sit at any single address, the Uniform Fire Code governs table capacity but in no event may a cardroom exceed five card tables, and no more than ten players may sit at any one table. Only Draw Poker, LoBall, 7-Card Stud Poker and Texas Hold 'Em may be played; all other games not otherwise prohibited by state law are barred.
the next day. No one under 21 may be present unless the cardroom holds no on-site alcohol license, in which case 18-to-20-year-olds may be present. 110).
Violations & Fines
Operating a cardroom without a license, exceeding five tables or ten players per table, allowing a game other than the four listed poker variants, exceeding the twenty-dollar-per-round bet cap, or operating outside the 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. window all violate Section 8A.01.180. The city manager may revoke or suspend a license for cause, and the chief of police may revoke or suspend a cardroom employee work permit for cause; the city manager may also temporarily suspend a license and order an immediate cease-and-desist during a pending appeal if continued operation poses a serious and immediate threat to public health, safety, morals or welfare. Operating during a temporary suspension is itself unlawful under Section 8A.01.110(d).
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Davis
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