TLDR A San Francisco judge paused two new state rules targeting how blackjack is played and how dealers rotate in California card rooms The 45-day injunction pushes the next legal battle to late June The judge said the Bureau of Gambling Control likely overstepped its legal authority The state’s own estimates show the rules could wipe out half of all blackjack revenue at card rooms Cities like Bell Gardens and Commerce have declared fiscal emergencies over the expected revenue losses
A San Francisco Superior Court judge has temporarily blocked California from enforcing new regulations that card room operators say would destroy their blackjack games. Judge Richard Darwin issued a 45-day injunction after finding the state likely exceeded its authority.
The ruling came after a hearing where Darwin questioned whether the Bureau of Gambling Control had the legal power to push through the rule changes. He said administrative agencies cannot create powers that state law does not explicitly give them.
What the New Rules Would Change
The dispute centers on the long-running conflict between California’s commercial card rooms and Native American tribal casinos. Tribal casinos hold exclusive rights to house-banked casino games in the state.
Tribes have argued for years that card rooms get around this monopoly by offering modified blackjack games. These games use a player-dealer rotation system that tribes say mimics a traditional casino setup.
Card rooms say the state approved and regulated these exact games for decades. They argue the sudden rule change is unfair after years of operating within the law.
Attorney General Rob Bonta’s Department of Justice pushed the new rules through in February. They took effect on April 1, with card rooms given until May 31 to comply.
The changes are sweeping. The state wants to remove core elements of blackjack, including