Hercules, CA Gambling & Gaming: Card Room Licensing (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Municipal Code Sec. 4-8.01
- Card play for stakes in public place
- Prohibited
- General chapter penalty
- Misdemeanor, fine up to $10,000
- Local card-room license
- None exists in the code
- Adopted
- Ord. 196 Sec. 1, 1985
Summary
Hercules Municipal Code Section 4-8.01 makes it unlawful to play poker or any other card game for money or anything of value in a barroom or public place, and equally unlawful for anyone controlling such a place to permit that card play, with no local licensing path for card rooms.
Sec. 4-8.01. Prohibition Against Gambling with Cards in Public Places. It shall be unlawful for any person to play the game of poker, or any other card game, for money or other representative of value, in any barroom or public place, or for any person having the possession or charge or control of any barroom or public place to permit poker or any other card game to be played for money or other representative of value.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 555, passed March 25, 2025).
Full Breakdown
01's flat ban: no person may play poker or any other card game for money or any representative of value in a barroom or public place, and no person having possession, charge or control of a barroom or public place may permit such play there either. 15, which lets qualifying non-profits, mobile home park associations and senior citizens' organizations apply to the Finance Director for a bingo permit, the code contains no comparable local authorization path for card rooms or poker rooms. 01 prohibition. 17 lets the City pursue an injunction against a violation in addition to criminal enforcement. The prohibition traces to Ord. 196 Section 1, adopted in 1985, and has not been amended to add a card-room licensing chapter since.
Violations & Fines
Playing or permitting poker or any other card game for money or value in a barroom or public place violates Section 4-8.01 and is punishable as a misdemeanor under Section 4-8.16 with a fine of up to $10,000, and the City may additionally seek an injunction under Section 4-8.17; the code provides no local license or permit that authorizes a card room.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a bar in Hercules host a poker night for cash?
Does Hercules license card rooms like some California cities do?
What is the penalty for illegal card gambling in Hercules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hercules
California rules heatmap·Compare Hercules to another location·View the California gambling & gaming overview
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Card Room Licensing in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Contra Costa County handle card room licensing.