Poker Writer
A San Francisco judge ruled that California cardrooms can continue to offer blackjack, halting Attorney General Rob Bonta’s regulations against them. Judge Richard Darwin granted the preliminary injunction to pause the enforcement of the regulations that had been in place since February.
In February, those table games were banned, requiring a “player-dealer” role and prohibiting third-party dealers from facilitating them.
The President of the California Gaming Association, Kyle Kirkland, applauded the court’s decision in a press release:
Today’s ruling validates what we have said all along: Attorney General Bonta and the Bureau of Gambling Control exceeded their authority by attempting to rewrite California gaming law. These regulations were driven by pressure from powerful tribal gaming interests that have long sought to eliminate lawful competition from California cardrooms.
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The court held that Bonta and his Bureau of Gambling Control exceeded their authority by adopting regulations that effectively amounted to a ban on some of the most popular table games at California cardrooms, such as blackjack.
Judge Darwin’s decision hinged on which regulatory body had the power to make such a drastic rule change. Darwin ruled that the Gaming Control Act does not give the bureau the power. In his view, the act does not give the bureau rulemaking power to restrict or prohibit games.
Ruling Could Save Jobs
As soon as the ban was announced months ago, there was widespread worry that jobs would be at risk. The cardrooms warned of mass layoffs and a significant loss of business. As much as 40% of the industry workforce was on the line, according to the California Gaming Association.
Kirkland emphasized how disruptive the regulations are when speaking to the Sacramento Bee:
These are easily the most disruptive set of regulations that I have seen in my tenure in the cardroom industry, which is two decades now. I’m not sure most cardrooms would survive because this is such a drastic change.
The judge in this case sided with this argument. The court found clear and convincing evidence that any enforcement of the regulations would damage cardrooms and their communities irreparably. That’s enough to justify a preliminary injunction, but the cardrooms still have to prevail in court to continue offering blackjack over the long term.
Many workers gathered near a downtown Sacramento hotel where Bonta was set to speak on Thursday. They protested the regulations with signs that read “Save our jobs.”
Since Bonta’s new regulations, the California cardrooms have been on edge after filing suit to bring the case to court.
The regulations have technically been in place since April 1, but were not expected to be enforced until June 1. This ruling postpones that. The court fight is not over, as the next scheduled hearing is set for June 30.
