Ontario, CA Gambling & Gaming: Card Room Licensing (2026)

Chapter 5 of Title 5 of the Ontario Municipal Code, first adopted in 1939 under Ordinance 639, governs gambling in the city. 01 bans operating the game of draw poker or any other card game "for money, chips, tokens, or any other thing" wherever a charge is made "as a rental for the use of tables, chairs, cards, or any other equipment or for admission or membership fees," whether the game runs in a private room, a hall, a place of business, or any public place.

02 separately bans displaying or exhibiting any sign visible from a sidewalk or street that advertises a card game played for money, chips, or tokens. 03 bans possessing any book, apparatus, or device used for taking or recording bets on the outcome of a contest of skill, speed, or power between people or animals. & Prof. Code Sec. , lets a city license and regulate commercial card rooms, but Ontario has adopted no such licensing ordinance; its 1939-era prohibition remains on the books instead, functioning as an outright local ban on for-profit card games rather than a permit scheme. The Ontario Police Department enforces the chapter under the Code's general penalty provisions.