Orange, CA Gambling & Gaming: Card Room Licensing (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Orange Municipal Code § 9.12.010
- Banned games
- Draw poker, lowball, cribbage, pool, billiards for money
- Only exception
- Licensed bingo under Chapter 5.95
- Spectator liability
- Presence at a gambling site is unlawful (§ 9.12.020)
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $1,000 fine or 6 months jail
- Card-room licensing
- None; City never adopted authorizing ordinance
Summary
Orange bans card rooms outright. Municipal Code Section 9.12.010 makes it a crime to deal, play, open or operate any game of draw poker, lowball poker, cribbage, pool, billiards or similar card, dice or cue-based game for money or anything of value anywhere in the City, with the sole carve-out for bingo licensed under Chapter 5.95.
It is unlawful for any person to deal, play, carry on, open, or cause to be opened, or to conduct, either as owner or employee, whether for hire or not, any game of draw poker including lowball poker, cribbage, pool, billiards, or any game not specified in Sections 330 or 330(a) of the Penal Code which is played with cards, dice, billiard balls, pool balls, cues, or other device for money, checks, credit, or "thing of value" as defined in Section 330.2 of the Penal Code, except as provided in Chapter 5.95 of this code.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4796775; v10 updated 2026-01-27).
Full Breakdown
2. , requires before a city may license one; there is no local card-room permit process to apply for. 010 is played for money or a thing of value. 95 of the code, which lets qualifying nonprofit organizations run licensed bingo games. 020.
Violations & Fines
Operating, dealing or hosting a prohibited card game, and merely being present at a location where one is played for money, are each misdemeanors under Orange's general penalty section, Municipal Code Section 1.08.010, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in County Jail, or both; the City Attorney may instead charge the offense as an infraction. Each day a game operates counts as a separate violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a business open a card room or poker room in Orange?
Is it illegal to just watch or sit in on a poker game in Orange?
Does Orange allow any gambling at all?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Orange
California rules heatmap·Compare Orange to another location·View the California gambling & gaming overview
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Card Room Licensing in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Orange County handle card room licensing.