Gamblers in Sacramento are set to receive expanded gaming options as the city seeks to approve the addition of new gaming tables. Under the new ordinance, cardrooms will be allowed to add several new gaming tables over 15 years.
Sacramento Considers Additional Gaming Tables
The measure was approved by the Sacramento City Council’s Law and Legislation Committee on Tuesday and has now been handed to the California Bureau of Gambling Control for further approval. If greenlit by the bureau, the proposal will return to the Sacramento City Council for final approval.
The changes outlined in the new measure would allow cardrooms in the city to add up to 10 new tables over 15 years. If passed, the measure would allow cardrooms to add two more gambling tables this year alone. Then, they would be allowed to add more tables every four years to a maximum of 10.
Cardroom owners will have to pay a quarterly fee of $225 for each new gaming table they have added.
The ordinance stems from Assembly Bill 311, a measure applying to cardrooms with fewer than 20 tables. Because of that, experts predict that it will pass, expanding Sacramento’s gaming industry. Sacramento is currently a popular gaming hub that has been steadily growing for over two decades.
A Big Win for Big Cardrooms, Not So Much for Smaller Ones
Park West Casino Lotus and Capitol Casino, two of Sacramento’s largest cardrooms, welcomed the proposal. Since both properties have reached their current maximum number of tables, the change would allow them to continue expanding their business.
The former property’s founder, John Park, noted that this incremental plan would allow the cardroom to grow responsibly and at a reasonable pace. Clarke Rosa, owner of Capitol Casino, was likewise pleased with the proposal. He pointed out that it is his team’s only revenue source and noted that the incremental plan would allow him to deal with the cost-of-living challenges.
In the meantime, smaller cardrooms expect to be unaffected by the changes. John Mikacich, owner of Limelight Cardroom, said that his team would need to move to a bigger facility if it is to expand its table count.
Sacramento River Massacre Site to Be Used for Casino
Speaking of Sacramento, The Wintu Tribe of Northern California, the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians, and the Speak Up Shasta Association just challenged the US Department of the Interior’s decision to put land into trust for the Redding Rancheria.
The plaintiffs argued that the approval process ignored key historical acts and, in the process, violated the National Historic Preservation Act and the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
According to the plaintiffs, the chosen site for a new Redding Rancheria casino is the site of the 1846 Sacramento River Massacre, making it a culturally-significant spot.