After over one year of talks and deliberations, the major California gaming regulator California Bureau of Gambling Control has released a new collection of proposals which would govern and manage how different kinds of house-banked games such as poker and baccarat are played within the state’s seventy-two card rooms.
According to one report issued by the Los Angeles Times newspaper several days ago, the upgraded proposal on house-banked games will govern games that involve players trying to win from casinos via dealers who serve as the bank. Nonetheless, according to the state’s laws governing the industry, card rooms that are located outside of tribal lands are prohibited from offering such gaming activities.
In other words, California laws prohibit gaming venues including card rooms situated outside tribal lands from financially benefiting. Consequently, California laws related to the industry also mandate that such card rooms employ outside representatives who will serve as the banker in house-banked games.
Gambling Laws in California
There are several legal forms of gambling in the state of California including Indian casinos, cardrooms, pari-mutuel betting, charitable gambling, the state lottery, and horse racing. When it comes to licensed cardrooms operating within the state’s borders, they are allowed to offer approved card games in that players play against each other rather than playing against the house. Hence, licensed cardrooms in the state can offer poker games.
As of 2019, there are seventy-two cardrooms operating in California. This number is bigger as there are several more cardrooms that are licensed but do not operate currently. Since 1995, the state has implemented a moratorium on new gaming venues of this kind. When it comes to non-banked games, they are legal within the state’s borders. Gambling whether it is slot machines, poker games or horse racing is regulated and governed at the state level.
In the state, some kinds of gambling are considered illegal including the percentage or banking games which involve dice or cards, hokey pokey, seven and a half, fan tan, rondo, roulette, faro, monte, and several others. The main regulatory body is the California Bureau of Gambling Control which works alongside the California Department of Justice.
California Bureau of Gambling Control
The state’s main regulatory body governs all sorts of gambling activities that are legal in the state in order to make sure that legal gambling activities are always conducted free from any corruptive or criminal elements, competitively and honesty. There is another regulatory body in the state including the California Gambling Control Commission which is also focused on fostering competitive, honest gambling in the state.
When it comes to the California Bureau of Gambling Control’s upgraded proposal related to house-banked games within the state’s cardrooms, they would modify the current system by mandating that every single player playing legal card games take turns serving as that round’s banker. This upgraded system will also mandate that every player act as the banker for two rounds.
The current system utilizes a variety of third-parties which act as banker. These third parties are also the ones generating revenues by modifying fees between rounds according to table limits. These individuals acting as the banker are also responsible for collecting money from losing players and for awarding winners. If the new proposal is accepted, it would exclude players who refuse to act as the banker and it will conclude games when no-one accepts the responsibility of acting as the banker.
