L.A. cardrooms applaud court ruling to allow blackjack

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Set us as preferred California cardrooms welcomed a court decision to let them continue to allow visitors to bet on blackjack, one of their most lucrative games.A San Francisco Superior Court judge struck down regulations that would ban cardrooms from offering blackjack in California.Authorities wanted to close what some consider a legal loophole allowing cardrooms to offer blackjack and games in which players play against the house.

Those types of games are supposed to be offered only in Native American casinos, but cardrooms were getting around the restriction by using designated outside dealers.In the June 30 ruling, Judge Richard Darwin said Atty.Gen.

Rob Bonta and the California Bureau of Gambling Control exceeded their authority by introducing the change.The California Department of Justice officially introduced the proposed regulations in May 2025, and responded to over 1,700 public comments.The California Office of Administrative Law green-lit the rules in February, and they were set to go into effect on April 1, but in March, the California Gaming Assn.filed a suit to invalidate them.In May, Darwin filed a preliminary injunction, temporarily blocking the state from imposing the new rules.There are more than 70 cardrooms across California employing about 20,000 workers, according to the California Gaming Assn.

It estimated that the changes could cut the number of cardroom jobs in half and significantly reduce the industry’s positive economic impact.A 2019 analysis commissioned by the group estimated that tax revenue generated by California cardrooms was roughly $500 million a year.Kyle Kirkland, the president of the California Gaming Assn.and owner of Club One Casino in Fullerton, said the regulation would have not only affected the cardrooms themselves, but also the cities and communities that rely on the money...