Salinas, CA Gambling & Gaming: Card Room Licensing (2026)
Key Facts
- Citywide cap
- 1 card room, 11 tables total
- Sensitive-use buffer
- 600 feet from schools, churches, hospitals
- Minimum age
- 21 years to hold a permit or play
- Dual licensing
- State Gambling Control Act license plus city permit
- Appeal window
- 15 calendar days to city council
Summary
Salinas caps the city at one card room with eleven tables total, and operators need both a state Gambling Control Act license and a police department permit. Card rooms cannot open within six hundred feet of a school, church, hospital, or playground, and the chief of police can revoke a permit immediately for cause.
No person shall engage in, carry on, maintain, or conduct, or cause to be engaged in, carried on, maintained, or conducted any card room in the City of Salinas without first having obtained each of the following:(a)A valid license from the attorney general of the State of California as required by "The Gambling Control Act," Business and Professions Code Section 19800 et seq.(b)A permit from the city according to each and every requirement of this article... (a)A maximum of one card room shall be allowed to operate in the city.(b)A maximum of eleven card tables, with one dealer per table, shall be allowed to operate in the city.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 5, Article V regulates card rooms concurrently with the state Gambling Control Act, Business and Professions Code Section 19800 et seq. 01 requires two authorizations before anyone can operate a card room: a valid license from the state attorney general's Bureau of Gambling Control, and a city permit issued only after the applicant proves it already holds the state license. 16 hard-caps the city at one card room and eleven card tables citywide, with one dealer per table. 06. 08 lets the chief deny an application for a felony or gambling-related conviction, a moral-turpitude misdemeanor within the prior ten years, association with organized crime, being under twenty-one, or if the proposed card room sits in a wholly residential area or within six hundred feet of a school, church, hospital, or children's playground.
New permits can be issued on a one-year probationary basis before becoming permanent. 17 sets table rules: no more than eight players per table, except up to ten for poker and Pai Gow, tables must be visible from the doorway, and card rooms can run twenty-four hours a day with adequate security. 18. 14.
Violations & Fines
The chief of police can revoke or suspend a card room or work permit immediately for cause, including any violation of this article, operation that jeopardizes public health or safety, or repeated police responses to the location. A denied or revoked applicant can appeal to the city council within fifteen calendar days, but anyone denied a permit cannot reapply for one year from the date the denial became final.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many card rooms can operate in Salinas?
How close can a card room be to a school in Salinas?
Does a state gambling license replace the need for a city permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salinas
California rules heatmap·Compare Salinas to another location·View the California gambling & gaming overview
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