Local News in Brief : 5 Cities Seek Change in Gambling Law
Fearing deep cuts in their revenues, officials of five Los Angeles County cities are joining forces to try to ensure that three controversial Asian betting games will be allowed to continue at area card clubs.
In the wake of a series of casino raids by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department last month, officials in Bell, Bell Gardens, Commerce, Gardena and Huntington Park began meeting this week to plan lobbying for changes in the state’s 98-year-old gambling law.
County officials contend that the casinos are violating the state law that prohibits games--such as pai-gow, Asian poker and Super Pan 9--in which gamblers play against a “bank,” which rotates among the players. Card club operators, however, contend that their games are legal.
Two of the cities have also joined in a lawsuit with casino operators to keep the games open. Sheriff Sherman Block has agreed to allow the games to continue until a Superior Court judge considers the lawsuit Feb. 9.
The cities collect a portion--usually ranging from 7% to 13.5%--of the casinos’ gross receipts from gambling tables. “We need to get this settled once and for all,” Bell Gardens City Manager Claude Booker said.
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