Client Win
MTO Secures Victory for California Gaming Association in Challenge to Cardroom Regulations
July 2, 2026
Munger, Tolles & Olson secured a significant victory for the California Gaming Association in its challenge to regulations issued by the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Gambling Control, which would have outlawed blackjack-style games and other popular table games that California cardrooms have operated for decades.
On June 30, 2026, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Richard Darwin ruled that the Bureau exceeded its statutory authority in adopting the challenged regulations. The court agreed with the California Gaming Association’s argument that the Bureau lacked authority under the Gambling Control Act to adopt rules restricting card games on a statewide basis.
The decision preserves the longstanding operation of these games in California cardrooms and prevents the challenged regulations from taking effect unless overturned on appeal.
The MTO team representing the California Gaming Association included Benjamin Horwich, Jeremy Kreisberg, Megan McCreadie, Oliver Lewis Brown and Lauren Kuhn.
The decision received media coverage in the Sacramento Business Journal, Courthouse News Service, GV Wire and other publications.