Fremont, CA Gambling & Gaming: Card Room Licensing (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- FMC Ch. 9.05, Art. I (Draw Poker)
- Core prohibition
- Taking value from a card game for stakes
- Max penalty
- $1,000 fine or 6 months jail
- Licensed card rooms
- None; city has no authorizing ordinance
- Enforcement tool
- Seizure of tables, chips, cash (Sec. 9.05.070)
- Adopted
- Ord. 7 (1976 amendment by Ord. 1090)
Summary
Fremont outlaws card rooms rather than licensing them. Municipal Code Section 9.05.020 makes it unlawful to collect anything of value from a game of draw poker or any card game involving betting, and Section 9.05.050 bars any property owner or operator from knowingly permitting such a game on their premises. No commercial poker room can legally operate here.
No person shall receive, directly or indirectly, anything of value from the playing or operation of a game of draw poker or any variation thereof, or any game played with cards involving betting or wagering, other than the actual winnings to which a person, playing such game in good faith for himself alone, may be entitled as the result of such a game.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 02-2026, passed May 5, 2026).
Full Breakdown
05, Article I, Draw Poker. 030 makes it equally unlawful to pay anything of value to play. The only carve-out is for participants playing purely for themselves: a player may keep actual winnings from a private, no-house-cut game, but nobody may take a cut, rake, or fee for hosting or organizing the game. 040. 060 goes further, making it unlawful even to knowingly visit a premises where an illegal game is occurring. Because Fremont never adopted an authorizing ordinance under the state Gambling Control Act, the city has no licensed card rooms, and the police department treats commercial poker operations as a criminal matter rather than a permitting one.
070 lets designated officers seize any furniture, chips, tables, or cash tied to an illegal game, with any seized money deposited into the city's general fund. 080 creates a rebuttable presumption that a publicly played card game for stakes returned value to whoever controlled the game or the premises, shifting the burden to the defendant to disprove it.
Violations & Fines
Violating Chapter 9.05 is a misdemeanor under Section 1.15.020, punishable by a fine up to $1,000, up to six months in county jail, or both; the enforcement officer may instead charge it as an infraction. Each game session counts as a separate offense under Section 1.15.030. Officers can seize tables, chips, cards, and cash under Section 9.05.070, and merely visiting a known illegal game violates Section 9.05.060.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I host a private poker night at home in Fremont?
Are there any licensed card rooms in Fremont?
What happens if police break up an illegal card game?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fremont
California rules heatmap·Compare Fremont to another location·View the California gambling & gaming overview
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Card Room Licensing in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Alameda County handle card room licensing.