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Updated:   2026-02-04

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Measure
Authors Committee on Governmental Organization  
Subject Gaming: bingo.
Relating To relating to gaming.
Title An act to repeal Sections 19850.5 and 19850.6 of the Business and Professions Code, and to amend Section 326.5 of, and to repeal Sections 326.4 and 326.45 of, the Penal Code, relating to gaming.
Last Action Dt 2025-07-28
State Chaptered
Status Chaptered
Flags
Vote Req Approp Fiscal Cmte Local Prog Subs Chgs Urgency Tax Levy Active?
Majority No Yes No None No No Y
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Leginfo Link  
Bill Actions
2025-07-28     Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 76, Statutes of 2025.
2025-07-28     Approved by the Governor.
2025-07-15     Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 11 a.m.
2025-07-10     In Senate. Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
2025-07-10     Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 72. Noes 0. Page 2509.) Ordered to the Senate.
2025-07-03     Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar.
2025-07-02     From committee: Do pass. Ordered to consent calendar. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (July 2).
2025-06-26     From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 22. Noes 0.) (June 25). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-05-19     Referred to Com. on G.O.
2025-05-08     In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
2025-05-08     Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 36. Noes 0. Page 1051.) Ordered to the Assembly.
2025-05-06     Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar.
2025-05-05     From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to consent calendar.
2025-04-25     Set for hearing May 5.
2025-04-22     From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 14. Noes 0. Page 831.) (April 22). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-03-27     Set for hearing April 22.
2025-03-26     Referred to Com. on G.O.
2025-03-14     From printer. May be acted upon on or after April 13.
2025-03-13     Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.
Versions
Chaptered     2025-07-28
Enrolled     2025-07-11
Introduced     2025-03-13
Analyses TBD
Latest Text Bill Full Text
Latest Text Digest

(1) The California Constitution permits the Legislature to authorize cities, counties, and cities and counties to provide for bingo games for charitable purposes. Existing law authorizes those local agencies to regulate bingo games for charitable purposes under specified criteria. A violation of these provisions is a misdemeanor.

Prior law, until January 1, 2017, authorized remote caller bingo for charitable purposes and required the commission to regulate remote caller bingo, including licensure and operation.

Existing law prohibits Gambling Control Act requirements from applying to remote caller bingo unless expressly made applicable by repealed provisions relating to the aforementioned remote caller bingo program. Existing law requires the commission to adopt emergency regulations concerning remote caller bingo and concerning card-minding devices by May 1, 2009. Existing law creates the Charity Bingo Mitigation Fund for the purpose of transitioning eligible entities to remote caller bingo, as specified.

This bill would repeal these and related obsolete provisions relating to remote caller bingo.

(2) Existing law authorizes a player who is physically present at a bingo game to use a hand-held, portable card-minding device, as specified, to assist in monitoring the numbers or symbols announced by a live caller as those numbers or symbols are called in a live game. Existing law also requires the Department of Justice to establish requirements for card-minding devices. Existing law authorizes the department to inspect card-minding devices and prohibits the use of any device that does not comply with requirements established by the department.

This bill would repeal those provisions authorizing the department to inspect, and prohibit the use of, card-minding devices and requiring a card-minding device to be approved by the department.