Photo by AP. As late as April 2025, the leaders of DraftKings and FanDuel effectively bent the knee to gaming tribes, appearing on stage with one of the tribe’s most outspoken advocates and declaring that sports betting wouldn’t happen in California without the tribes’ cooperation. Oh, how the sands have shifted since then.
Image by SewcreamStudio via iStock.California cardrooms historically have been among the worst violators of AML law, according to enforcement actions by FinCEN, the nation’s primary regulator of AML mandates.
Image created by Andrii Yalanskyi, iStock Images. CAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: A poll from Median Strategies roiled the Los Angeles mayoral race earlier this month, showing Mayor Karen Bass with an 11 point lead over challenger Nithya Raman. The results were cited by several media outlets, and were touted by the Bass campaign before the poll was exposed as fake. Political data expert Paul Mitchell joined us to talk about how junk polls, paid influencers and strategic gaming of prediction markets can distort perceptions about a campaign.
The Commerce Casino, image by Steve CukrovA San Francisco Superior Court judge on Tuesday struck down Attorney General Rob Bonta’s controversial cardroom regulations, which would have limited the salons from offering their most popular games.
California State Capitol building on a sunny day in Sacramento. Image by miroslav_1. OPINION — Over the past two decades, a select group of California tribes has amassed vast financial resources through casino revenues.
Attorney General Rob Bonta (Photo: AP/Rich Pedroncelli)New regulations approved this month will dramatically change the operations of California’s cardrooms and are expected to take a sizable bite out of not only their revenues but that of several cities. The changes, however, are in line with what the state’s gaming tribes have been pushing for.
Image by wildpixel. OPINION – California has long been a hub for innovation—pioneering everything from personal computers to artificial intelligence. We lead, not follow. But some officials in Sacramento seem more interested in stifling innovation than fostering it.
Image by MariuszSzczygielJust days after several gaming tribes filed suit to block “California Blackjack” and other Las Vegas-style games in cardrooms, the tribes requested a temporary restraining order on Tuesday to prevent the cardrooms from erasing any security videos of allegedly illegal games being played at their facilities.
Image by WD StuartOn the first day they were permitted to do so, several of California’s largest gaming tribes filed a suit on Thursday alleging that the arcane system cardrooms and related businesses employ to offer “California Blackjack” and other Las Vegas-style games is in violation of state law.
The Commerce Casino, image by Steve CukrovThe California Bureau of Gambling Control has unveiled draft language for potential new regulations that could effectively turn the card room industry – and the cities that depend on the revenue they generate – on their heads. Not surprisingly, card rooms are incensed. But so are their biggest rivals – tribal casinos.