California regulators have approved two major rule packages that will alter blackjack-style games and player-dealer practices in card rooms statewide.
The Office of Administrative Law signed off on the California Department of Justice regulations on February 6, 2026, without substantive comment and without requiring another round of public input. The rules take effect April 1, 2026, and card rooms must submit compliance plans within 60 days, by May 31.
New Standards for Player-Dealers
One set of regulations revises how card rooms manage the rotation of the player-dealer position and the role of third-party providers of proposition players, known as TPPPs. The player-dealer must remain seated at the table at all times, and staff must offer the position to every player before each hand in a manner visible to surveillance cameras.
Each table must post a notice stating: “Any player can assume the player-dealer position when it is offered. The player that assumes the player-dealer position cannot win or lose more than the amount they wager.”
The position must rotate to at least two players other than the TPPP every 40 minutes or the game must end. If a TPPP serves as player-dealer, the next rotation must go to another player. Only one TPPP may operate per table, and TPPPs may accept and settle wagers only while acting as player-dealer.
The DOJ introduced the proposals in spring 2025 and held public hearings on May 28 and May 29. Regulators received 876 comments on the player-dealer rules and 888 on blackjack-style changes. “After careful review and consideration of the comments, DOJ did not make any substantive changes to the proposed regulations,” the agency said.
Overhaul of Blackjack-Style Games
The second package reshapes blackjack-style offerings. Games may no longer feature a “bust” rule in which a hand automatically loses for exceeding 21. Instead, outcomes “shall be determined solely by whether the total points of a player’s hand is closer to the target point count when compared with the total points of the player-dealer’s hand.” The target point cannot be 21, and a total of 21 will not produce an automatic win. In tie situations, players will win. Games also may not use the terms “21” or “blackjack.”
The California Gaming Association criticized the changes, stating: “The [Bureau of Gambling Control] advanced the regulations without any showing of legal necessity, or any public harm or safety risk caused by these popular games, which have been approved by AG Bonta’s predecessors and offered in cardrooms for decades.”
CGA President Kyle Kirkland called the shift “devastating” and a “dramatic, hard, 180-degree pivot in how the law is being interpreted”, saying card rooms are “not ready to just give up and fold up shop by April 1”.
Tribal leaders supported the decision. California Nations Indian Gaming Association Chairman James Siva described it as “an important step” and said, “The regulations further clarify that games and practices employed by commercial card rooms are indeed prohibited under California law. Running a business contrary to that law is an illicit business, period. We hope that Department of Justice will now enforce these regulations so California can ensure a well-regulated gaming industry that is safe for consumers.”
Source:
“Office of Administrative Law Approves DOJ Card Room Regulations”, oag.ca.gov, February 9, 2026
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