California card room employees urge Rob Bonta to drop proposed regulations
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THIS ISN’T A GAME
California card room employees are fighting for their jobs in the latest chapter of a long-running feud between tribal casinos and their smaller gaming rivals.
Around 150 people protested outside Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office on Wednesday, calling on him to not follow through with proposed regulations that would make major changes to the current operation of card rooms.
Card rooms are not legally allowed to play “banked” games, where the house is pit against players, however they’ve gotten around it with a complex system of “player-bankers” employed by Third-party Providers of Proposition Player Services and a version of blackjack that the AG’s office argues is different from the real thing in name only.
The issue has been heightened this month, after Sacramento Superior Court Judge Lauri Damrell shut down tribes’ attempt to sue card rooms for being in violation of state law. Tribes were provided the chance to sue through a 2024 law, Senate Bill 549, authored by then-state Sen. Josh Newman from Fullerton, and are expected to appeal the ruling.
The Attorney General’s office would now have to make the move to regulate card rooms, which an impact assessment commissioned by the office estimates would reduce patronage by about 50 percent, and have ripple effects on jobs and city tax revenue.
“Right now we have a fair balance,” said Capitol Casino worker Chris Linger. “Tribal casinos have slot machines and full-scale gaming, while card rooms offer table games that help sustain local economies.”
The California Gaming Association, which represents the card rooms, emailed several petitions to the AG’s office protesting the regulations, according to spokesperson Janet Fernandez.
The office didn’t respond to a request for comment about the protest or the state of the regulations.
Melissa Turinsky, 41, is a player-banker with TPPPPS LE Gaming at Stones Gambling Hall in Citrus Heights, and said the role has been a lucky hand for her after time working in retail and management.
“You’re guaranteed a schedule. It’s set in stone. Overtime, if you want it. It’s just a very stable and solid job, and that’s so hard to find.”
ONLINE SAFETY FOR KIDS COULD BE ON 2026 BALLOT
Via William Melhado ...
A group of online safety advocates hopes that California voters will support a measure to ban cellphones in schools and establish protections for children using chatbots powered by artificial intelligence.
Jim Steyer, the founder of the advocacy group Common Sense Media, hopes to secure a ballot initiative in 2026 that would enact new safety testing requirements for AI products used by children and create financial penalties for technology companies when their products harm children.
“At this pivotal moment for AI, we can’t make the same mistake we did with social media, when companies used our kids as guinea pigs and created a youth mental health crisis. We need AI guardrails to protect kids and teens now,” Steyer said in a Wednesday statement announcing the nascent proposal.
The effort would need 546,651 valid signatures to successfully appear on next year’s ballot.
Among other things, the proposal would:
- Require school districts to ban cell phones from California classrooms
- Prohibit companies from selling or sharing minors’ personal information
- Require AI products used by kids to undergo independent safety audits
In California, lawmakers and advocates have recently been pushing for stronger guardrails on AI chatbots, which reports have shown that three out of four teenagers nationally are using.
Earlier this month, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed California’s first bill regulating AI companion chatbots. The law requires companion chatbots to direct users who mention self-harm or suicidal ideation to suicide crisis lines.
Newsom ultimate vetoed a more restrictive piece of AI chatbot legislation that was supported by some online safety advocates, including the parents of Orange County teen Adam Raine, who died by suicide after using AI for companionship.
DEMS APPEAL TO TRUMP ON WEST BANK QUESTION
Via David Lightman ...
Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla joined 44 other Senate Democrats and independents Wednesday in urging President Donald Trump to “reinforce his stated opposition to the State of Israel’s annexation of territory in the West Bank.”
Trump has been opposed to the annexation.
Israel’s parliament Wednesday voted for annexation of the land. Palestinians see that land as an important part of their hoped-for state. There are other steps that need to be taken before the annexation can proceed.
“In this moment, it is essential that the United States reject measures that undermine the viability of a negotiated resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” the California Democratic senators and their colleagues wrote to Trump.
“As longstanding supporters of Israel’s security and Palestinian aspirations for statehood, we are unified in our opposition to unilateral measures by either party that undermine the prospect of lasting peace through negotiations to achieve a two-state solution,” the senators said.
“That includes any steps by Israel to annex territory or expand settlements that prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.”
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I could not be more appreciative of the work that Governor Newsom and the people of California are doing in saying ‘Stop. This is not how American democracy is supposed to operate.’”
— Former President Barack Obama, speaking on a call with Gov. Gavin Newsom and Proposition 50 volunteers
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