Palm Springs, CA Gambling & Gaming: Card Room Licensing (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Municipal Code Chapter 11.12, enacted as Measure L, 1995
- License required
- City license plus conditional use permit needed to operate
- Zoning
- Site must carry a gaming overlay zoning designation
- Minimum size
- At least 20,000 square feet, excluding hotel space
- Table cap
- 30 to 200 tables per club, 500 citywide
- Naming rule
- Club name may not include the word card or cards
Summary
Palm Springs bans card and dice games for money citywide except inside a licensed gaming club, adopted by voters as Measure L in 1995. Clubs need a city license, a gaming-overlay zoning designation and a conditional use permit, and citywide table counts are capped under Chapter 11.12.
Except as otherwise provided by Section 11.12.230 herein, it shall be unlawful for any person (i) to play or bet at, (ii) to deal, carry on or conduct, whether as owner or employee, (iii) or to knowingly permit in any house, room or place owned by him or under his charge, any game played, conducted, dealt or carried on with cards, dice or other device, for money, checks, chips, credit, merchandise or other representations of value. ... Except as otherwise provided by Section 11.12.230 herein, it shall be unlawful for any person, for himself or herself, or for any other person, corporation, or other business entity to engage in or carry on, or to maintain or conduct, or cause to be engaged in, carried on, maintained or conducted, or share in the profits of, any gaming club in the city of Palm Springs without first having secured a license from the city to do so and without compliance with all of the provisions of this chapter and state law pertaining to gaming clubs. No gaming operations shall be conducted in any location within the city unless so authorized under the provisions of this chapter.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4923139; v14 updated 2026-06-24).
Full Breakdown
12, Gaming Clubs, was enacted by the voters as Measure L in November 1995. 230. Subsection (b) separately makes it unlawful to engage in, carry on, maintain or share in the profits of a gaming club without first securing a city license and complying with the chapter and with state gaming-club law; no gaming operation may run anywhere in the city unless authorized under the chapter. 090, hold a conditional use permit, comply with Business and Professions Code Section 19805, and may not operate under any name containing the word card or cards.
050 caps every licensed club at no fewer than 30 and no more than 200 tables, with a citywide ceiling of 500 tables; tables running only for temporary tournaments or special events are not counted against the cap. 060 allows a club to run 24 hours a day unless the city council restricts hours for a club near residentially zoned property. 030 include draw poker, lowball poker, panguingue, seven-card stud, pai gow poker and super pan 9.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 11.12 does not print its own penalty clause in the sections reviewed; operating an unlicensed gaming club or exceeding the table caps falls back on the code's general enforcement tools, including business license revocation and the misdemeanor and infraction penalties in Sections 1.01.140 through 1.01.160, plus license conditions the city council can attach or revoke.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a poker room open anywhere in Palm Springs?
How many card tables can a Palm Springs casino run?
Why is Palm Springs gambling regulated by a special ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palm Springs
California rules heatmap·Compare Palm Springs to another location·View the California gambling & gaming overview
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Card Room Licensing in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Riverside County handle card room licensing.