California reinstates cardroom moratorium
The passage of the bill means that the ban that prevents the California Gambling Control Commission from issuing new cardroom licences is renewed. The bill was supported by both the cardrooms and the California tribes.
The 1997 Gambling Control Act imposed a 25-year moratorium on cardroom expansion. After expiring at the beginning of the year, the new law proposes a further 20-year freeze on new licences.
The bill is retrospective from 1 January and so prevents cardrooms from taking advantage of the temporary end of restrictions to apply for new licences.
However, the bill does contain provisions for certain limited expansion in the number of tables that a cardroom can offer.
Any city or county will be able to amend its ordinances to allow a cardroom that operates under 20 tables to add up to two tables in the first year and up to two additional tables every four years thereafter.