Pen. Code, § 337w · Chapter 10. Gaming
Pen. Code, § 337w
Text — As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
(a) It is unlawful for any person to use counterfeit chips, counterfeit debit instruments, or other counterfeit wagering instruments in a gambling game, the equipment associated with a gambling game, or a cashless wagering system.
(b) It is unlawful for any person, in playing or using any gambling game, the equipment associated with a gambling game, or a cashless wagering system designed to be played with, receive, or be operated by chips, tokens, wagering credits or other wagering instruments approved by the California Gambling Control Commission or a tribal gaming agency, or by lawful coin of the United States of America to either:
(1) Knowingly use chips, tokens, wagering credits, or other wagering instruments not approved by the California Gambling Control Commission or a tribal gaming agency, or lawful coin, legal tender of the United States of America, or use coins or tokens not of the same denomination as the coins or tokens intended to be used in that gambling game, associated equipment, or cashless wagering system.
(2) Use any device or means to violate this section or Section 337u, 337v, 337x, or 337y.
(c) It is unlawful for any person, not a duly authorized employee of a gambling establishment acting in furtherance of his or her employment within that establishment, to possess any device intended to be used to violate this section or Section 337u, 337v, 337x, or 337y.
(d) It is unlawful for any person, not a duly authorized employee of a gambling establishment acting in furtherance of his or her employment within that establishment, to possess any key or device known to have been designed for the purpose of, and suitable for, opening, entering, or affecting the operation of any gambling game, cashless wagering system, or dropbox, or for removing money or other contents from the game, system, or box.
(e) It is unlawful for any person to possess any paraphernalia for manufacturing slugs. As used in this subdivision, “paraphernalia for manufacturing slugs” means the equipment, products, and materials that are intended for use or designed for use in manufacturing, producing, fabricating, preparing, testing, analyzing, packaging, storing, or concealing a counterfeit facsimile of the chips, tokens, debit instruments, or other wagering instruments approved by the California Gambling Control Commission or a tribal gaming agency, or a lawful coin of the United States, the use of which is unlawful pursuant to subdivision (b). The term “paraphernalia for manufacturing slugs” includes, but is not limited to, any of the following:
(1) Lead or lead alloys.
(2) Molds, forms, or similar equipment capable of producing a likeness of a gaming token or lawful coin of the United States.
(3) Melting pots or other receptacles.
(4) Torches.
(5) Tongs, trimming tools, or other similar equipment.
(6) Equipment which can be reasonably demonstrated to manufacture facsimiles of debit instruments or wagering instruments approved by the California Gambling Control Commission or a tribal gaming agency.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Added by Stats. 2002, Ch. 624, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2003.
Source of truth
- Edition
- As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
- Official file
- https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN§ionNum=337w.
- Text hash
- sha256 18958f42c382cb7ccf8a3cd26bf07fba1ffd27f980171a213a1237293719c67d
- Composed by
- compose_ca.py 2026-10-22: the Legislative Counsel's CAML content files read by a tokenizer (caml_readers.reader_a); an independent xml.etree reading (caml_readers.reader_b) agrees on every section
This section cites
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