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

A card room in the City of Watsonville, Santa Cruz County, needs a license from the Watsonville Police Department before it opens (Section 5-6.01). The license fee is paid to the City Finance Department at $200 semi-annually, due in advance on the first day of January and the first day of July, for each card table in the room (Section 5-6.02). Table counts are capped twice. Section 5-6.03 allows no more than five card tables in any one card room, and Section 5-6.10 sets a maximum of twenty card tables within the City limits. A card room cannot operate or be open to the public between 2:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. on any day (Section 5-6.05), and the operator cannot allow anyone under twenty-one in or about the room (Section 5-6.04).

Location is restricted by Section 5-6.07: a card room cannot sit within 500 feet of a public or private preschool or K-12 school, a public park or playground, or a public library. Section 5-6.08 limits an aggregate bet to $200 in the same hand. Betting on simultaneous hands by the same player and bets placed by a shill or dummy player are also unlawful, and the operator must clearly post all wagering limits and wagering rules on the premises.

The Chief of Police controls security. Under Section 5-6.06 the operator has an affirmative duty to report all crimes on the premises to the Watsonville Police Department immediately, and the Chief can require one or more uniformed or nonuniformed security guards and can require liability insurance to be filed with the license application. A tournament needs authorization from the state Department of Justice, and the request to hold a tournament or special event goes to the Chief of Police at least thirty days in advance (Section 5-6.09). Section 5-6.11 adds that it is unlawful to run a card room in violation of California law or Division of Gambling Control rules, on top of the City license.