ARTICLE 11. Penalties [19940. - 19944.]

Cal. Business and Professions Code - BPC 11.

in effect

Cal. Business and Professions Code - BPC § 19940. Section 19940.

Any person included on the list of persons to be excluded or ejected from a gambling establishment pursuant to this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor if he or she thereafter knowingly enters the premises of a licensed gambling establishment.

Cal. Business and Professions Code - BPC § 19941. Section 19941.

(a) A person under 21 years of age shall not do any of the following: (1) Play, be allowed to play, place wagers at, or collect winnings from, whether personally or through an agent, a gambling game. (2) Be employed as an employee in a licensed gambling establishment, except as provided in Section 19912. (3) Present or offer to a licensee, or to an agent of a licensee, written, printed, or photostatic evidence of age and identity that is false, fraudulent, or not actually the person’s own for the purpose of doing any of the things described in paragraphs (1) and (2). (4) Loiter in or about a room in which a gambling game is operated or conducted. (b) A licensee or employee in a gambling establishment who knowingly violates or knowingly permits the violation of paragraphs (1) to (3), inclusive, of subdivision (a) is guilty of a misdemeanor. (c) A person under 21 years of age who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor. (d) Proof that a licensee, or agent or employee of a licensee, demanded, was shown, and acted in reliance upon bona fide evidence of age and identity shall be a defense to any criminal prosecution under this section or to any proceeding for the suspension or revocation of a license or work permit based thereon. For the purposes of this section, “bona fide evidence of age and identity” means a document issued by a federal, state, county, or municipal government, or subdivision or agency thereof, including, but not limited to, a motor vehicle operator’s license or an identification card issued to a member of the Armed Forces, that contains the name, date of birth, description, and picture of the person.

Cal. Business and Professions Code - BPC § 19942. Section 19942.

(a) Any person who willfully fails to report, pay, or truthfully account for and pay over any license fee imposed by this chapter, or who willfully attempts in any manner to evade or defeat the license fee or payment thereof, shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail, by a fine of not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), or by both that imprisonment and fine. (b) Any person who willfully violates any of the provisions of this chapter for which a penalty is not expressly provided, is guilty of a misdemeanor.

Cal. Business and Professions Code - BPC § 19943. Section 19943.

(a) Except as specified in subdivision (c), this section applies to any person or business that is engaged in controlled gambling, whether or not licensed to do so. (b) Any person or business described in subdivision (a), with actual knowledge of the requirements of regulations adopted by the commission pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 19841, that knowingly and willfully fails to comply with the requirements of those regulations shall be liable for a monetary penalty. The commission may impose a monetary penalty for each violation. However, in the first proceeding that is initiated pursuant to this subdivision, the penalties for all violations shall not exceed a total sum of ten thousand dollars ($10,000). If a penalty was imposed in a prior proceeding before the commission, the penalties for all violations shall not exceed a total sum of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000). If a penalty was imposed in two or more prior proceedings before the commission, the penalties for all violations shall not exceed a total sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000). (c) This section does not apply to any case where the person is criminally prosecuted in federal or state court for conduct related to a violation of Section 14162 of the Penal Code.

Cal. Business and Professions Code - BPC § 19943.5. Section 19943.5.

If a gambling enterprise conducts play of a controlled game that has been approved by the department pursuant to Section 19826, and the controlled game is subsequently found to be unlawful, so long as the game was played in the manner approved, the approval by the department shall be an absolute defense to any criminal, administrative, or civil action that may be brought, provided that the game is played during the time for which it was approved by the department and the gambling enterprise ceases play upon notice that the game has been found unlawful. In any enforcement action, the gambling enterprise shall have the burden of proving the department approved the controlled game and that the game was played in the manner approved.

Cal. Business and Professions Code - BPC § 19944. Section 19944.

Any person who willfully resists, prevents, impedes, or interferes with the department or the commission or any of their agents or employees in the performance of duties pursuant to this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for not more than six months, by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both that imprisonment and fine.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026