Small and Medium Cardrooms Launching Media Campaign Against Big Gaming

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Communities for California Cardrooms

Aug 29, 2022, 10:00 ET

The Communities for CA Cardrooms are fighting major special interests before legislative session ends

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Communities for California Cardrooms (CCC), today launched a media campaign to expose special interests that are trying to abuse the legislative process to diminish competition in the marketplace.

Since 1995 there has been a moratorium on gaming expansion that limits the number of licenses and tables for cardrooms. Since then, the State of California has allowed an unprecedented expansion of gambling with respect to Tribal Casinos – having signed gambling compacts with 79 tribes, which are currently operating 76 casinos. These compacts do not limit the hours of operation of the casinos, nor do they limit the number of tables allowed to operate. Moreover, tribal facilities operate over 80,000 gaming devices statewide.

The existing moratorium is set to expire on December 31, 2022. This issue has been at the forefront of stakeholder negotiations for the past five years and the CCC has been working with the legislature to establish a new moratorium that would allow their licensed cardrooms to expand the number of tables with local government approval.

"Any conversation centered around extending the moratorium on the expansion of gambling needs to allow more flexibility for local governments so that they can amend their ordinances to add additional tables," said Clarke Rosa, President of the CCC. "A moratorium without reasonable table expansion, creates a great inequity among local governments who have active gaming ordinances. A continuation of the status quo is unacceptable. Local governments need the flexibility to amend their ordinances to add additional tables, as each table can generate a tremendous amount of living wage jobs and tax revenues," added Rosa.

The cardroom industry produces 32,000 living wage jobs, held mostly by minorities and underserved communities. The tax revenue generated helps fund many cities' budgets; and its practices have been approved by the last six California Attorneys General and comply with all laws and regulations.

It is time to uncover the truth and allow legal businesses to thrive in California under fair competition.

The Communities for California Cardrooms (CCC) is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization that provides a united voice for small businesses; advances and protects local jobs and the economy that is provided by cardrooms; educates and highlights the public on the benefits and history of cardrooms in their communities; and encourages inclusiveness with businesses small and large that share in protecting and growing jobs in California communities.

www.calcardrooms.org

SOURCE Communities for California Cardrooms