LIVERMORE — The owner of a cardroom located along Interstate 580 in Livermore can expand and raise the gambling establishment’s betting limit, a move city leaders say will bring in more tax revenue.
The Livermore City Council’s unanimous approval allows the Parkwest 580 Casino to add six card tables to its 10 existing ones and increase the betting limit from $200 to $1,000. Officials expect to quadruple the city’s take, from $1,890 to $4,800 per table a month — or an extra $695,000 a year.
The cardroom’s table fees will help fund a new city police officer and a position in the community development department, officials have said. Parkwest 580 Casino will additionally spend $60,000 to install three new traffic cameras and new license plate readers in the area.
The vote also approved increasing the city’s total gambling tables to 32, up from 19. The city’s only other venue is Livermore Casino, which currently has 10 tables.
While the city council was mostly warm to the Parkwest 580 expansion project, councilmembers acknowledged traffic problems that residents have complained about for years. The changes include a new 230-space paved parking lot, which officials say is expected to help ease traffic congestion near Doolan Road and North Canyons Parkway.
“Parking has been an issue for the casino for forever, and it really does cause an issue for safety,” Vice Mayor Evan Branning said during the Feb. 24 council discussion of the project. He brought up another worry. “I have seen the damage that gambling addiction can cause, and so I’m concerned about the increase in limits.”
Mayor John Marchand said that the customers — not Parkwest’s owners — asked to be able to gamble more per bet. Marchand also said he appreciates the project’s new parking lot.
“I certainly appreciate getting the cars off the road. I certainly appreciate your willingness to be a community partner,” Marchand said at the February meeting.
Parkwest’s owner, John Park, told the council the limits were raised at the request of “very specific high-end clientele,” because “other places don’t have the same betting limits that Livermore does.”
“That’s why they actually demanded it,” Park said.
There are 60 to 70 active cardrooms throughout the state, according to Livermore officials. Other nearby cities with such establishments include San Jose, Colma, Stockton, Emeryville and Turlock.
Councilman Ben Barrientos also expressed concern about gambling addiction, saying as a local wrestling coach that he’s seen some of his athletes’ fathers “gamble everything away.”
But officials assured the councilman that Parkwest has procedures in place to address any customers with gambling issues.
Steve Riley, the city’s planning manager, said the cardroom participates in a state program allowing gambling addicts to enter into a database which shows their name and picture. Anyone in the database won’t be allowed to gamble, Riley said. Parkwest also distributes gambling addication literature throughout the cardroom, he added.
“They are proactive in addressing the possible addictive behaviors some patrons may experience and have implemented educational opportunities in staff training and patron awareness materials and processes to alleviate the possible outcomes of addictive behavior,” said Sherri Souza, CEO of the Livermore Chamber of Commerce. She said Parkwest has been a member of the chamber in good standing since 2017 and looks forward to the expansion.
“Their intention is positive and is projected in their efforts to improve our environment for better outcomes,” Souza added.
First, the California Gambling Control Commission must approve the additional tables and then Parkwest can apply for an amended license from the Livermore Police Department. It is unclear when the parking lot will be finished.
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