§ 4.04.210. Cardrooms—Regulations

Except as hereinafter provided, no person shall operate a cardroom in violation of any of the following regulations:

A.

No person shall be permitted to hold or be interested in more than one cardroom license issued by the city.

B.

No more than 50 card tables shall be operated in any cardroom. Each license shall specify the maximum number of tables authorized for each cardroom. No license may operate or maintain in use more tables than the number for which the business licensee fee has been paid.

C.

The maximum number of players at any card table shall be 16.

D.

No person under the age of 21 shall be permitted at any card table or to participate in any game played at such a table, nor shall any card table be exposed to viewing from any other areas of the premises which are open to and frequented by persons under the age of 21. Each licensee shall post at a conspicuous place at or near each entrance to the cardroom area a clear and legible sign not less than seven by 11 inches in size, containing the following statement "NO PERSON UNDER TWENTY-ONE ALLOWED."

E.

All cardrooms shall be open to police inspection during all hours of operation.

F.

The city council may, by adoption of resolution, provided for the regulation of the house of rules of each cardroom. Each licensee shall post in a conspicuous place on the premises a copy of the house rules, game rules, buy-ins, wagering limits and game fee collections, and give notice that all persons will be required to comply with them.

G.

No licensee, operator, manager, or employee of the license shall offer any game which is illegal under state laws.

H.

All table and wagering limits shall be fixed by the gambling club in its discretion (and be posed as and if required by subsection F above) and shall comply with all federal and state laws and all ordinances of the city. No-limit and high-limit bets may be allowed in designated high-limit game areas and during authorized tournaments. In no other case shall individual bets higher than $300.00 be allowed in poker games, nor bets higher than $500.00 be allowed in California games.

I.

Prior to operating more than three tables in any cardroom, a licensee must submit a physical security plan for review and approval by the city council. The plan shall include provisions for regular patrol of the building and parking areas.

J.

Licensees are not prohibited from conducting cardroom operations 24 hours per day, seven days per week except in such instance in which the council specifically determines that a restriction upon the hours of operation of a cardroom is necessary to ensure that the cardroom does not adversely affect the neighborhood in which it is located.

K.

Cardrooms for which new licenses are issued after July 1, 1998, or cardrooms which are relocated after July 1, 1998, must be located in a zoning district of the city which expressly authorizes such use either as a permitted use or as a conditional use. Until the city zoning ordinance is amended to designate cardroom as a permitted use or conditional use in one or more zoning districts, no cardroom may be relocated nor shall the authorized number of card tables in any existing cardroom be increased.

L.

Failure to comply with the regulations under this section may be grounds for suspension or revocation of the license.