California Gaming Association

California card rooms have been using plexiglass dividers, indoors and outdoors, and other strenuous safety standards to keep guests safe far beyond other industries.

California’s cardrooms have adopted extensive safety protocols that exceed the standards for many other small businesses throughout the state. They should be allowed to reopen indoor with limited capacity now.

500 Club Casino Bar & Grill has reopened for outdoor gaming! Check out this preview from ABC30 Action News of the outdoor set up and the safety measures in place to protect employees and guests.

#CACardrooms have some of the strictest, industry-wide safety and sanitization protocols in place for outdoor gaming. Learn more about what The Bicycle Hotel & Casino and other cardooms are doing to protect employees, guests, and the community at thebike.com/plan_your_visit.

Many cardrooms across #LACounty have now reopened for outdoor gaming, and due to strict sanitization protocols and mask requirements, they remain some of the safest places of business. Support for #CACardrooms like these will help continue to bring back the jobs and economic activity needed to drive economic recovery in our communities. READ MORE from the Daily Breeze:

L.A. County cardrooms continue to work with county health officials to meet new guidelines and to ensure the safety of guests and employees and continued operations that support jobs and tax revenue for our cities.

Great highlight by CapRadio of the recent outdoor reopening of the Limelight Cardroom. The Sacramento cardroom launched outdoor gaming on their patio this month, bringing back economic activity and nearly 40 jobs to the community.

For many cities, the impact of cardroom closures over the last seven months will have lasting effects for years to come. Spectrum News 1 SoCal details how lost tax revenue from the The Gardens Casino severely impacted the City of Hawaiian Gardens Government, which receives 70% of their operating budget from cardroom, causing cuts to 40% of their city workforce. READ MORE:

California cardrooms have strong partnerships with their cities and are committed to supporting their communities. If you're in LA area, join City of Bell Gardens - local government and the The Bicycle Hotel & Casino on Oct. 31 for this free and safe halloween event for the community!

On Monday, County of Los Angeles cardrooms reopened for outdoor gaming, reviving a critical stream of tax revenue and jobs for our communities. Without the casinos, our lifeline, we are looking at more [budget-tightening] actions at the beginning of the year, said Edgar Cisneros, Commerce City Manager, adding that he hopes to rehire all of the city’s furloughed workers and reinstate the regular salaries once the casino is in full operation. We are optimistic we will be able to recoup those revenues but also put people back to work. READ MORE from the Los Angeles Times:

Starting next week, LA County cardrooms will be allowed to open for outdoor gaming. For us it’s a glimmer of hope. It’s a starting point to move forward. The pandemic has been much longer than we all expected. We’ve been suffering for the past several months, engaging in tough conversations with employees and residents about needing to cut services. - Bell Gardens Mayor Alejandra Cortez. READ MORE:

Following this week's approval by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, L.A. County cardrooms are getting ready to reopen for outdoor gaming, bringing back jobs and critical tax revenue to their communities. Watch this interview with The Bicycle Hotel & Casino for a look at the extensive safety protocols cardrooms have in place to keep employees and guests safe.

Cities are in dire financial situation as LA cardrooms still remain closed. Let cardrooms open for outdoor gaming with strong health and safety protocols. Watch the full story here by FOXLA: https://www.foxla.com/video/855529

It is vital that the cardrooms industry be allowed to reopen as soon as possible...so that (1) our predominantly black and Latino residents can get back to work and not suffer the wide negative consequences from the federal benefits reductions and (2) restore our cities’ major sales tax revenue source in order to solidify our position of being able to serve as the last safety net for our communities of color, with the ability to re-hire city staff safely and expand essential services in low-income communities. READ MORE from Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson, 64th District, Assemblymember Patrick O'Donnell, Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo, Senator Steven Bradford, and Senator Bob Archuleta in MyNewsLA.com.

The Bicycle Hotel & Casino provides thousands of local jobs and millions in tax revenue that amounts to more than 43% of the #BellGardens City Budget. Bell Gardens is a #CardroomCity.

"In City of Hawaiian Gardens Government, Mayor Jesse Alvarado said the city receives more than 70% of its funding from tax revenue generated by The Gardens Casino. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the city laid off nearly 40% of its staff and lost further tax revenue that came with close to 2,000 employees at the casino, Alvarado said. The city also reduced or eliminated services affecting youth and seniors, he said. 'Without the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors support, we’ll have to make more cuts to put at risk our ability to provide services and jeopardize public safety,' Alvarado said."

Thank you to County of Los Angeles Supervisor Hilda Solis for supporting #CACardrooms and the communities who depend on them. "While I am heartened by the decrease in COVID-19 transmission and case rates in the County of Los Angeles, many of our local economies are hurting due to the closure of cardrooms as outlined in the Health Officer Order. Specifically, the cities of Bell Gardens and Commerce have suffered devastating budget conditions due to the loss of cardroom tax rev...enue that helps to fund their total cities’ revenue. To that end, I support allowing outdoor cardroom gaming operations with measures in place to protect workers and visitors, including providing protective gear to both employees and patrons. Installing plexiglass where necessary and enforcing physical distancing requirements and the use of face coverings add additional layers of protection at these establishments. Everyone should be aware of the risks that result when people of different households gather together during this public health crisis, even when outdoors. But I believe with safeguards in place, operations of outdoor cardrooms can safely reopen for business. For so many communities of color, their job does not provide them the luxury to work from home and as this health crisis continues, we must adapt as appropriate to safely allow our residents and their families an opportunity to preserve and protect their livelihoods." See more

From our cardroom employees to the frontline workers in our communities, thank you for all you do! Happy Labor Day from the California Gaming Association.