California Redefines Blackjack And Adds Player Dealer Requirements
California has introduced substantial regulatory changes that will impact the state’s card rooms.
The new rules effectively prohibit non-tribal venues from offering traditional blackjack games, a move that could also push some players to seek alternatives such as online casino options available outside the state’s brick-and-mortar establishments.
The changes prevent the use of the term blackjack. The card games will no longer include a bust feature, and players will automatically win ties. The new regulations also place strict stipulations on TPPPs and player dealers.
The new rules, which have been debated for the last three years, have been well-received by state tribes. However, the California Gaming Association described the changes as “catastrophic” and signalled its intention to contest them.
The new rules take effect on April 1, with card rooms being required to show compliance plans before May 31. They are expected to have a significant impact on the venues, which, unlike the state’s tribal casinos, are restricted to offering table games only.
TPPP Rules
Under existing rules, card rooms are not permitted to act as the house.
Any profit they make must come from rake fees or player fees, a structure that differs significantly from many online platforms offering table games and the best online slots.
In blackjack, they get around this by using player-dealers. Furthermore, card rooms have outsourced the role of player dealer to Third-Party Providers of Proposition Players.
California’s sweeping card room restrictions could dramatically reshape the state’s competitive gaming landscape.
New dealer rules apply to TPPPs as well as player dealers. They require that the player-dealer be seated at all times and that all players be given the option to play as the dealer before every hand.
Two player-dealers, other than a TPPP, must be selected every 40 minutes, and only one TPPP is permitted per table.
Furthermore, rules have been introduced to restrict the type of games card rooms can offer, specifically targeting blackjack.
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Tribes Vs Card Rooms
The process to amend card room rules has been ongoing since 2023. Public hearings were conducted last May.
California tribes have long argued that the use of player dealers and, in particular, TPPPs circumvents the requirement that card rooms only offer peer-to-peer games.
In 2024, tribes were granted the right to sue card rooms under Senate Bill 549. Although the Sacramento County Superior Court ultimately ruled against a lawsuit, the new regulations effectively bring the same changes.
California has 109 federally recognized tribes and the largest Native American population of any state.
As such, it has a significant tribal casino presence, with more than 70 venues operating across 27 counties.
The sector generates around $12bn in annual gross gaming revenue, while many players also explore the best online blackjack sites for similar table game experiences.
There are also around 70 card rooms in the state, but game type and other gambling restrictions mean these generate around half the gaming revenue.
Card rooms and the California Gaming Association, which represents them, argue that these changes are another nail in the coffin of a struggling industry.
