SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Cardrooms in California could take a major hit come April 1, as new regulations will bar the establishments from offering blackjack-style games.
Attorney General Rob Bonta’s Office announced the approval of the new rule on Monday, which prohibits person-versus-person card games like blackjack, which cardrooms offer, unlike tribal casinos, where players play against the house.
That means casinos on tribal land will not be affected by the new regulation and will still be able to offer blackjack-style games, whereas cardrooms could lose half of their revenue.
Local cardrooms are pushing back on the change, however, with owners saying tribal casinos are driving the entire battle.
San Diego County has two legal cardrooms: Ocean’s Eleven Casino in Oceanside and Seven Mile Casino in Chula Vista. Local opponents say the new regulations could devastate the cardroom industry while further boosting the billion-dollar local tribal casino industry.
Ocean’s Eleven Casino is one of two cardrooms located in San Diego County (FOX 5/KUSI).
“The Attorney General is massacring our business,” said Marl Kelegian, the Managing Partner and President of Oceans 11 Casino. “The Attorney General is basically working with the tribes to attack us, and close us, and put us out of business. This is their third attempt.”
In 1999, a proposition was passed that allows California’s Native American Tribes the exclusive right to blackjack-style games in which players play against the casino. Cardrooms, however, use player-dealers, in which a third-party player serves as the “house.”
Seven Mile Casino is one of two cardrooms located in San Diego County (FOX 5/KUSI).
“We’ve been playing these games for almost 30 years, and now all of a sudden they want us to stop playing them,” Kelegian continued. “Well, who wants us to stop playing them: The Tribes. The Attorney General is absolutely doing the bidding of the tribes. It comes as no surprise to us.”
Along with revenue taking a major hit with the new regulation, it could also jeopardize thousands of workers and harm California communities that rely on cardroom taxes to fund essential services. Meanwhile, more than 10,000 jobs statewide could reportedly be eliminated.
“In our casino alone, we have 300 employees. If this regulation were to go into effect, we would lose at least half of our employees,” Kelegian said. “All of them are residents of North County, primarily Oceanside and Vista.”
Rows of slot machines inside one of San Diego’s Tribal-owned casinos (FOX 5/KUSI).
The California Gaming Association recently sent a letter to Bonta’s office, stating that the announcement of the regulation lacks proper notice and transparency, ignores industry concerns, and will cause severe economic harm as a critical but overlooked impact.
Kyle Kirkland, President of the California Gaming Association, issued the following:
“Attorney General Bonta and the Bureau have unilaterally implemented extreme regulatory changes that will harm thousands of working families and the dozens of California communities that depend on cardroom taxes.
“By the Bureau’s own simplistic economic assessment, these unnecessary regulations will eliminate over half of all cardroom jobs and force many communities to cut police, fire, parks, senior and food programs when the long-standing tax base disappears.”
The second regulation, passed alongside the blackjack ban, involves new rules for player-dealer rotation.
The regulations are slated to take effect on April 1, while the deadline for cardrooms to submit compliance plans is May 31.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.