- New California regulations ban traditional blackjack at state-licensed cardrooms effective April 1, 2026.
- Cardrooms are projected to lose up to $464 million annually while tribal casinos gain $232 million with 364 jobs lost per year.
- Tribal casinos remain unaffected and will continue offering legal blackjack under federal gaming compacts.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Traditional blackjack will be eliminated from California cardrooms under new regulations set to begin April 1, 2026. The Office of Administrative Law finalized the restrictions late Friday, concluding a prolonged dispute about blackjack-style games at non-tribal gambling establishments across the state.
The new regulations eliminate the possibility for participants to bust while playing and prohibit games that set 21 as their target score. Establishments are not allowed to utilize 21 or blackjack in any game names, and drawing an ace next to a face card will no longer automatically win you the game.
Additionally, the player-dealer function must switch between several seated players at least every 40 minutes, which is a major operational change for cardroom table games.
Financial Projections and Market Analysis
According to a state investigation, the new rules will cost cardrooms between $396 million and $464 million a year. As patrons move to reserve gaming establishments, tribal casinos should see an increase of between $198 million and $232 million. According to the Berkeley Economic Advising and Research study, 364 full-time jobs will be lost annually over the next ten years, and some estimates suggest that almost half of cardroom occupations may be destroyed.
The rules target the operational framework that has permitted cardrooms to provide games akin to blackjack while still adhering to state law. In contrast to tribal casinos that are granted exclusive rights to banked games by federal tribe-state compacts, cardrooms are licensed by the state of California. In order to replicate house banking, some venues have developed a player-dealer system using third-party proposition player services.
Blackjack sites in California, such as the 500 Club Casino and Club One Casino in Fresno, now include customized blackjack versions such as Spanish 21.5 and Pure 21.5. Club One has 250 employees and contributes about $1 million in tax income to Fresno each year.
Cardroom taxes provide significant operating budgets for local governments in places like Bell Gardens, Commerce, and Hawaiian Gardens. Parks, fire stations, senior services, and public safety initiatives are all supported by these grants.
Under federal law and tribal-state gaming compacts, legal blackjack will continue to be offered at tribal casinos. Traditional banked games will still be available at these establishments, which are exempt from the new state restrictions.
The California Gaming Association has stated that it will contest the rules through the legal system. Cardrooms have until May 31, 2026, to submit compliance plans to the Department of Justice.