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California Judge Ends Blackjack Ban

California Attorney General Rob Bonta took a big swing in his attempt to reshape casino gambling in the Golden State. Bonta’s new regulations would have required rotating the player-dealer position every 40 minutes and banned all forms of blackjack. Judge Richard Darwin ruled against Bonta, striking down his proposed new restrictions.

What Were Bonta’s New Casino Restrictions?

Bonta’s proposed regulations contained two main changes to California card rooms. The first would require player-dealers to rotate every 40 minutes. Bonta also proposed a ban on all forms of blackjack in CA.

Player-Dealer Rotation

California cardrooms employ third-party player-dealers to avoid the state’s restrictive casino laws. Since players bank the game instead of the house, these games are not prohibited by state law.

Bonta’s proposed rules would have placed new restrictions on player-dealers. The player-dealer role would need to rotate every 40 minutes. Also, players other than third-party player-dealers employed by the casino would need to take up the role of dealer, or the game would end.

CA Blackjack Ban

The other major change in Bonta’s new regulations was the ban on blackjack in CA.

Under Bonta’s rules, no blackjack games would have been allowed in card rooms. There would also be new regulations to close any loopholes in blackjack-style games. Also, players could not automatically win any game by getting “21” and could not bust by going over it. 

Instead, the winners of any blackjack-style games that remained would be determined by which player had the most points compared to the dealer. With the increased payouts for naturals eliminated, though, the appeal of these games would be low.

Judge Darwin Rules Against Bonta’s Casino Regulations

Bonta’s regulations were set to start on April 1st, and casinos had until May 31st to comply. However, an injunction from Judge Darwin stopped the regulations from going into place.

Months after granting the injunction, Darwin once again ruled against Bonta on June 30th. He struck down Bonta’s new regulations altogether, a win for proponents of card rooms in the Golden State.

According to Judge Darwin, the Bureau of Gambling Control lacked authority to create new statewide regulations. Darwin’s ruling reaffirmed the authority of the California Gaming Association to regulate casinos in California.

The CGA was the biggest opponent of Bonta and the BGC in their attempt to create new CA gambling laws. CGA president Kyle Kirkland claimed that Bonta and the BGC were trying to bypass the state legislature to create new laws.