Redondo Beach, CA Gambling & Gaming: Card Room Licensing (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- RBMC § 4-2.101
- Rule type
- Outright prohibition, not a licensing scheme
- Covers
- Any card game, including legal poker, played for a house fee
- Penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine or 6 months jail (general penalty)
Summary
Redondo Beach makes it unlawful to operate any card room, including legal poker games, where players pay a fee or compensation to the house or management, a flat citywide ban rather than a licensing scheme.
It is unlawful for any person to operate, conduct, or permit the carrying on or operation of any room or establishment in the City in which card games, including legal poker games, are played and for which a fee or compensation is charged or payable by the players of such games to the house, management, or other person permitting the operation of the games.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4889554; v14 updated 2026-05-12).
Full Breakdown
101, found in the Amusements chapter's Card Rooms article, prohibits any person from operating, conducting, or permitting the operation of a room or establishment where card games, including legal poker games, are played for a fee or compensation charged to the players by the house, management, or other person permitting the games. Unlike jurisdictions that regulate card rooms through a local licensing ordinance under the state Gambling Control Act, Redondo Beach has not adopted an authorizing ordinance; instead its own Code criminalizes the for-profit card room model outright.
The section traces to Ordinance No. 501), which by contrast require permits rather than banning the activity. , but Redondo Beach has chosen not to authorize that licensed model within city limits.
Violations & Fines
Operating or permitting a fee-based card room violates Section 4-2.101 and, absent a more specific penalty provision in Chapter 2, falls under the Code's general penalty section, RBMC Section 1-2.02: a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment of up to six months, or both, with each day of continued operation treated as a separate offense under Section 1-2.01.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open a licensed poker room in Redondo Beach?
Does the Redondo Beach card room ban cover home poker games?
What is the penalty for running an illegal card room in Redondo Beach?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Redondo Beach
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