Proposed cardroom regulations will devastate Sacramento-area cities

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OPINION – A set of proposed regulations, pushed by well-funded California tribal casino interests, would effectively cripple California’s local card rooms. Under the pretense of “clarifying” which gambling games and betting practices are permissible under California’s century-old gaming laws, the proposed regulations would suddenly criminalize entire categories of games that cardrooms have offered, and our residents have played, for decades. If these regulations move forward, card rooms across the state may be forced to close their doors. The economic repercussions for Citrus Heights and many local communities will be severe, and the only ones who will benefit will be a few wealthy gaming Tribes.

Make no mistake, these proposed regulations were specifically designed to appease the powerful tribal casinos, which have spent a decade working to stamp out perceived competition from card rooms by lobbying California legislators, influencing regulators, and encouraging voters to outlaw cardroom games. Although those efforts have consistently failed, the Attorney General is now considering giving the Tribes exactly what they have asked. Regulations under consideration could devastate local economies, eliminate thousands of good-paying jobs, and severely undermine municipal budgets, all while consolidating gaming power into the hands of a few wealthy tribal operators.

As someone who has spent decades in law enforcement and city management, I’ve seen firsthand how vital stable local revenue is to keep our communities safe, vibrant, and functioning. In cities like Citrus Heights and more than 70 communities across California, card rooms provide a critical stream of tax revenue that funds essential public services. When these funds are threatened, public safety is the first to suffer.

This isn’t about consumer protection or defending tribal sovereignty, it’s about eliminating competition. Tribal casinos have special rights to operate slot machines and house-banked games. But they want more. By pushing the Attorney General to reinterpret well-established gaming laws, they are working to shut down licensed card rooms that have long served as safe entertainment venues and economic anchors for their local communities.

Former Attorneys General Kamala Harris and Xavier Becerra recognized the importance of these establishments and resisted similar pressure from the Tribes. But now, the pendulum has swung, and these new regulations would set a dangerous precedent, one where financial and political power overrides community needs and decades of judicial precedent.

The potential consequences of this regulatory overreach are alarming. A state-commissioned impact assessment estimates that card rooms could lose up to $464 million in revenue annually, leading to the loss of over 36,000 jobs over the next decade. Meanwhile, cities would be left scrambling to cover multimillion-dollar gaps in their budgets.

Losing that kind of revenue doesn’t just mean fewer city services. It means slower emergency response times. It means potholes don’t get filled, parks don’t get maintained, and youth programs disappear. As a former community leader in the Sacramento region, I recognize that places nearby Citrus Heights, some underserved and under-resourced, this could be a final blow to fragile civic infrastructure.

Card rooms are heavily regulated by the state and offer a limited set of legal games in a controlled and well-supervised environment. They are not fly-by-night operations. They are cornerstones of local economies, especially in communities that lack other consistent sources of revenue.

We cannot allow special interests to dictate the future of California’s neighborhoods. Our state’s leaders, including the Attorney General, must stand up for the public good, not cave to monopolistic pressure.

The people of California deserve better than to watch their cities gutted for someone else’s gain. The Attorney General should abandon these Tribal supported regulations and recommit to policies that put communities first.

Chris Boyd is a former Police Chief and City Manager of Citrus Heights.