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The Bureau of Gambling Control and California Gambling Control Commission
Their Licensing Processes Are Inefficient and Foster Unequal Treatment of Applicants

Report Number: 2018-132


May 16, 2019
2018-132

The Governor of California
President pro Tempore of the Senate
Speaker of the Assembly
State Capitol
Sacramento, California 95814

Dear Governor and Legislative Leaders:

As directed by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, the California State Auditor conducted an audit of the California Department of Justice's Bureau of Gambling Control (bureau) and the California Gambling Control Commission (commission). The audit focused on each entity's regulatory duties that the Gambling Control Fund supports, which include the licensing of individuals who own or work in card rooms. This report concludes that the bureau's and commission's incomplete or inconsistent procedures have contributed to delays and backlogs for gaming license applicants and have resulted in unequal treatment for applicants and licensees.

Despite receiving significant additional resources from the Legislature, the bureau has failed to clear its backlog of pending license applications. In fact, its productivity has declined over the past few fiscal years, and our review identified inefficiencies in its processes and concerns about how staff report spending their time. The bureau and the commission have each engaged in inefficient practices that delay licensing denials, and it may require legislative intervention to address the commission's delays.

To varying degrees, both the bureau and the commission have charged fees that result in unequal treatment of license applicants. Although our review did not identify evidence of discrimination by either entity on the basis of individuals' ethnicities or related characteristics, we determined that the bureau's incomplete or inconsistent procedures resulted in unequal treatment related to the level of scrutiny applicants received. Furthermore, neither the bureau nor the commission has addressed the fact that the fees they charge do not align with their costs for providing oversight. Such misalignment has contributed to an excessive surplus in the Gambling Control Fund and may call into question the legality of some fees.

Respectfully submitted,

ELAINE M. HOWLE, CPA
California State Auditor



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