Lodi, CA Gambling & Gaming: Card Room Licensing (2026)
Key Facts
- Table cap per cardroom
- 15 tables
- Citywide table cap
- 15 tables total
- Licensing authority
- Chief of Police
- Minimum age
- 21 years old
- Monthly fee, first $240,000
- $20,000 flat
- Fee above $240,000/month
- 4.5% of excess revenue
- License denial appeal window
- 10 days to city council
Summary
Lodi allows cardrooms only under a Chief of Police license, capping every licensed room at fifteen tables and the whole city at fifteen tables total. Operators pay a steep monthly gross-revenue fee on top of the license and a separate business license, and employees need individual work permits.
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 card room in the city without first having secured a license to do so, or without complying with each regulation contained in this chapter pertaining to such cardroom. ... C.Not more than fifteen tables shall be permitted in any cardroom. No more than fifteen tables shall be permitted to operate within the city. ... In addition to the permit fees previously prescribed each permittee permitted pursuant to the provisions of this article shall pay to the city a monthly fee equal to twenty thousand dollars on the first two hundred forty thousand dollars of monthly gross revenue the permittee received from cardroom operations, and four and one-half percent of monthly gross revenue in excess of two hundred forty thousand dollars.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 68).
Full Breakdown
030). 040). 060). 070). 140's operating rules cap each cardroom at fifteen tables and cap the entire city at fifteen tables total, bar players and cardroom access to anyone under twenty-one, require posted hours of operation, mandate police access during all operating hours, and limit games to table stakes as approved by the state Bureau of Gambling Control; shills, intoxicated patrons, and unauthorized credit extensions to players are all barred. 160). 5% of revenue above that threshold, reported under a sworn monthly statement to the finance department and subject to city audit.
Violations & Fines
Operating a cardroom without a license, or in violation of any Chapter 5.12 rule, is unlawful under § 5.12.030. The chief of police may suspend or revoke a cardroom license or employee work permit for cause, including any ground that would have justified denying the license in the first place, after a hearing on five days' notice (§ 5.12.130); revocation or suspension can be appealed to the city manager within ten days of the order. Failure to pay the monthly gross-revenue permit fee on time exposes the permittee to a city audit of its reported revenue under § 5.12.170.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cardrooms can operate in Lodi?
Can a felon get a Lodi cardroom license?
What fees does a Lodi cardroom pay each month?
Do cardroom employees need their own permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lodi
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Card Room Licensing in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Joaquin County handle card room licensing.