Sacramento’s Magnolia House Casino May Open New Card Room

Written By: Matthew Bain
Published: Nov 28, 2022
Updated: Nov 28, 2022

A new card room could be coming to California. Or, perhaps just a rebranded card room at a familiar site.

Epoch Casino Inc. has filed with the state for a license to sell alcohol at the Magnolia House Casino site in Rancho Cordova, just east of Sacramento. The license application, which was filed Nov. 16 with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, includes a full liquor license for a general eating place, as well as a caterer permit and event permit.

The previous Magnolia House Casino owner, Angad Sahota, Inc., is transferring these licenses and permits to Epoch.

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So … What Does This All Mean?

It means Epoch, which is owned by Xiaodong Wang, is looking to get card room casino operations up and running again at Magnolia House — or whatever name is eventually takes on. Magnolia House Casino has a card room license issued by the California Gambling Control Commission active through Oct. 31, 2024, for 10 poker tables.

Fred Castano of the CGCC told the Sacramento Business Journal that Wang has a pending application to run a card room at the Magnolia House Casino site.

Wang also owns Blue Ocean Sky LLC, a third-party proposition player services company that works with card rooms. Online searches reveal no current affiliations of Epoch Casino Inc. with any operating card rooms.

Originally just a restaurant, Magnolia House began offering poker games in 2019. However, it shut down the following year over allegations it had not followed state gambling laws for finances.

In California, 84 card rooms have licenses. But only 59 of those establishments have active licenses and are up and running. Wang’s new card room would be the 60th.

California card rooms are predominantly known for poker. But they also offer modified table games such as blackjack via third-party proposition player services companies like Wang’s Blue Ocean Sky LLC.

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Matthew Bain

Matthew Bain started as News Editor and Content Manager at California Casinos in 2022. Before that, he spent six years as a sports reporter and then deputy sports editor for the Des Moines Register, during which time he won nine statewide journalism awards, including the Genevieve Mauck Stoufer Outstanding Young Iowa Journalists Award. As deputy sports editor, Matthew oversaw the Register’s recruiting coverage while also innovating the outlet’s high school sports coverage. Matthew graduated from San Diego State and grew up in California, but he’s somehow a Boston Celtics fan. Long story.