A California court has invalidated regulations introduced by Attorney General Rob Bonta's Bureau of Gambling Control, which aimed to impose restrictions on the state's cardroom sector. The ruling determined that the agency overstepped its authority by trying to enforce statewide limitations on table games.
According to a statement from the California Gaming Association, Richard Darwin of the San Francisco Superior Court concluded that the Bureau, part of the California Department of Justice, did not possess the power to enforce the contested regulations.
The proposed regulations would have either banned or severely limited table games that licensed cardrooms in California have been operating for many years. The association argued that such measures could potentially halve industry revenues, leading to the closure of some cardrooms and job losses, as well as a decline in tax revenues that local governments depend on.
The court's decision emphasized that the Bureau's role is to enforce California's gaming laws, not to alter them through regulation, as stated by the association.
“For over a year, we have maintained that this case extends beyond gaming; it questions whether the Attorney General and his regulators can circumvent the Legislature and unilaterally change longstanding laws. Today, the Court provided a definitive answer: they cannot,” commented Kyle Kirkland, President of the California Gaming Association.
The ruling is expected to safeguard communities reliant on cardroom tax revenues, which support funding for police, parks, libraries, youth programs, and other public services. Kirkland referred to this decision as “a lifeline for communities throughout California.”
“These regulations were never intended to protect the public,” the association's President remarked. “They were aimed at promoting the interests of a select few powerful gaming tribes at the expense of local communities, working families, and established cardroom businesses. The Court dismissed that initiative and confirmed that the Bureau misused its authority and cannot simply rewrite laws for political purposes.”