New California Gambling Rules Can Kill Card Rooms

The Bureau of Gambling Control proposed several rules governing the 72 card rooms in California. Operators of such establishments fear that the new California gambling rules will make card games less fun and more complicated.

The proposed rules will go through hearings held by the gambling regulator of the state. However, card room operators told pay per head reviews and news sites the new rules can make gambling complicated. Gamblers might not go to card rooms and instead head to tribal lands or Las Vegas, where the rules don’t apply.

The California card room industry will die if the proposed regulations become the norm. As a result, thousands of families and dozens of communities will suffer across the state. The proposal is anti-card rooms. Once implemented, the $5.6 billion industry will be out of business.

New California Gambling Rules

In traditional casinos in tribal lands and Las Vegas, players try to win money from the gambling establishment. However, California law prohibits card rooms from having any financial stake in the result of the games. The only exemptions are card rooms found on tribal lands.

As a result, card room employees act as dealers, and a third-party business is a banker. The banker collects the losing bets and pays out the winners. Also, card rooms get their revenue from a specific fee collected from each player’s hand. They base the charge on the betting limit of the table.

Under the proposed rules, players will take turns serving as a banker. The role will switch every two rounds. Players who don’t want to become bankers can’t join the game. If a person doesn’t accept the position, the game stops.

Sportsbook software experts described the new rules as complicating a simple gambling mechanic. Most games played in a card room require a banker. Also, players don’t want to take on the additional burden of being the banker. Besides, rotating the position will slow down games.

Instead of proposing changes to card rooms, California should instead work on legalizing sports betting. Many sports entrepreneurs want to venture into the state through pay per head under $10 solutions. However, lawmakers are not pushing for sports wagering in the state.