SB-860 • 2026

Gaming: bingo.

Crime

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Committee on Governmental Organization (S) - (Senators Padilla (Chair), Archuleta, Ashby, Blakespear, Cervantes, Dahle, Hurtado, Jones, Ochoa Bogh, Richardson, Rubio, Smallwood-Cuevas, Valladares, Wahab, and Weber Pierson)
Last action: 2025-07-28
Official status: Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 76, Statutes of 2025.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide information on what happens to the Charity Bingo Mitigation Fund after its removal or how local governments will regulate bingo games now that some rules have been removed.

Bingo Rules Update

This law removes outdated rules about remote caller bingo and regulations on card-minding devices for live bingo games in California.

What This Bill Does

Removes laws related to remote caller bingo, which allowed people to play bingo over the phone or internet for charity until January 1, 2017.
Eliminates requirements that the Department of Justice establish rules and inspect card-minding devices used at live bingo games.

Who It Names or Affects

Charities and non-profits running bingo games for fundraising
Local governments like cities and counties

Terms To Know

remote caller bingo: Bingo played over the phone or internet where a live caller announces numbers.
card-minding device: A handheld tool used by players to keep track of numbers called during a bingo game.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify what happens to the Charity Bingo Mitigation Fund after its removal.
It is unclear how local governments will regulate bingo games now that some rules have been removed.

Bill History

2025-07-28 California Legislative Information
Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 76, Statutes of 2025.
2025-07-28 California Legislative Information
Approved by the Governor.
2025-07-15 California Legislative Information
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 11 a.m.
2025-07-10 California Legislative Information
In Senate. Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
2025-07-10 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 72. Noes 0. Page 2509.) Ordered to the Senate.
2025-07-03 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar.
2025-07-02 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass. Ordered to consent calendar. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (July 2).
2025-06-26 California Legislative Information
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 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on G.O.
2025-05-08 California Legislative Information
In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
2025-05-08 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 36. Noes 0. Page 1051.) Ordered to the Assembly.
2025-05-06 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar.
2025-05-05 California Legislative Information
From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to consent calendar.
2025-04-25 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing May 5.
2025-04-22 California Legislative Information
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 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing April 22.
2025-03-26 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on G.O.
2025-03-14 California Legislative Information
From printer. May be acted upon on or after April 13.
2025-03-13 California Legislative Information
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Official Summary Text

SB 860, Committee on Governmental Organization.
Gaming: bingo.
(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.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

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