The California Gaming Association (CGA) is the definitive voice of the state’s cardroom industry. CGA is a trade association of licensed cardrooms and vendors, which strives to improve and promote conditions in the California cardroom industry while providing a safe gaming experience for customers.
CALIFORNIA CARDROOMS
- CALIFORNIA PRESENCE: Cardrooms have been in operation in California for over 150 years with 72 cardrooms currently in operation. California cardrooms range in size from small businesses with one to two tables, to the largest cardroom in the world with 270 tables.
- ENTERTAINMENT OFFERED: Cardrooms offer a variety of gaming and non-gaming activity. Cardrooms do not offer slot machines.
- NO HOUSE-BANKED GAMES: Cardrooms cannot and do not offer house-banked games. Every player in a cardroom has the opportunity to wager as the dealer, an opportunity not found in tribal casinos.
- STRICT OVERSIGHT AND REGULATIONS: Cardrooms operate under some of the strictest regulations of any industry in California, including internal control standards on cage/count operations, security and surveillance, casino operations, financial reporting, and responsible gambling. Every cardroom employee has to go through a law enforcement background check. The regulations are developed by the California Gambling Control Commission as well as various federal agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service.
CREATING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY & PARTNERING WITH COMMUNITIES
- QUALITY JOBS THAT PUT CALIFORNIANS TO WORK: Cardrooms are responsible for more than 23,000 Californians, providing a stable source of high-quality employment in many underserved communities. Cardrooms are one of the few industries in the state that offer living wage jobs without requiring employees to have prior industry training or experience. Cardroom job opportunities serve an important role to help people gain employment and become productive members of the communities in which they live.
- BILLIONS IN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY TO BENEFIT CALIFORNIA COMMUNITIES: The cardroom industry generates more than $2 billion in annual economic activity and contributes millions of dollars to local communities and the state in tax revenue.
- PARTNER WITH CALIFORNIA COMMUNITIES: California cardrooms collectively generate over $300 million in federal, state and local tax revenues every year. In many communities, cardrooms are the largest taxpayer, and in several communities, the locally-owned cardroom provides the majority of general fund tax revenue.
- CONTRIBUTING TO VITAL COMMUNITY SERVICES: Cardroom tax revenues help communities fund important local services such as park maintenance, police and fire services, and local road repairs.