California bill seeks to end casino-like games in non-Indian-run poker rooms
California bill SB 549, which is mostly about credentialing of out-of-state teachers, has some unrelated terms regarding California cardrooms (non-Indian casinos).
https://trackbill.com/bill/californi...-2023/2369843/
Quote:
Gaming: Tribal Declaratory Relief Act of 2023.The existing federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 provides for the negotiation and execution of tribal-state gaming compacts for the purpose of authorizing certain types of gaming on Indian lands within a state.
The California Constitution prohibits the Legislature from authorizing casinos of the type operating in Nevada and New Jersey and authorizes the Governor to negotiate and conclude tribal-state gaming compacts, subject to ratification by the Legislature.
Existing law expressly ratifies a number of tribal-state gaming compacts between the State of California and specified Indian tribes. Existing law, the Gambling Control Act, provides for the regulation, oversight, and licensure of gambling establishments by the California Gambling Control Commission. Existing law prohibits a list of specified gambling games or any banking or percentage game played with cards, dice, or any device, for money, checks, credit, or any representative of value, and provides that any person who offers for play or participates in these games is guilty of a misdemeanor and is punishable as specified.
Existing law authorizes gambling establishments to operate controlled games utilizing a player-dealer position, as defined, and to contract with a third party for the provision of proposition player services subject to specified conditions and regulatory requirements.
Existing law generally specifies the persons or entities that may bring a civil action as prescribed for relief.
This bill would authorize a California Indian tribe, under certain conditions, to bring an action to seek a declaration as to whether a controlled game operated by a licensed California card club and banked by a third party proposition player services provider constitutes a banking card game that violates state law and tribal gaming exclusivity under Section 19 of Article IV of the California Constitution and a tribal-state gaming compact or secretarial procedures.
The bill would prohibit a claim for money damages, penalties, or attorney’s fees and would require that actions be filed no later than April 1, 2024, as specified
The part I bolded is the important element. Basically this allows Indian casinos to "bring an action" to the state regarding non-poker games in non-Indian cardrooms, and to have such games shut down if they too much resemble Indian-run pit games such as blackjack, craps, etc.
This would give Indian tribes a path to shut down everything in non-Indian cardrooms except poker.
Hustler Casino in Gardena, CA is already panicking. I posted a response.
https://twitter.com/ToddWitteles/sta...34424449318913
https://twitter.com/ToddWitteles/sta...35161157832704
I can't have a lot of sympathy for the CA cardrooms until they stop banning people for banking the games. That's against the entire spirit of these games, which were supposed to be player-banked. The "corporations" banking them were only supposed to step in when players didn't want to bank, but it has morphed into a situation where players aren't allowed to bank anymore in many places.
