Workers rehabilitate the new site for Club One Casino in this July photo. Photo by Frank Lopez.

The Fresno City Council voted on Thursday to approve Club One Casino operations out of their new location at Granite Park.

The 5-1 vote comes after a delay for approval at the August 5 city council meeting when Councilmember Tyler Maxwell, who presides over the district the new cardroom is in, wanted Club One-owner Kyle Kirkland to perform more community outreach.

Yesterday’s council vote approved Club One’s permit for 31 card tables, with the City of Fresno scheduled to decide in 90 days whether to add 20 more tables, the number the cardroom had at its downtown location.

The City of Fresno Card Room Ordinance does not allow for more than 51 tables in a cardroom.

Councilmember Garry Bredefeld, was the lone vote against the motion because of the delay of the 20 card tables.

Calling in on Thursday’s meeting, Kirkland said that he went door-to-door to homes in the neighborhood as well as local businesses and churches. He also hosted a community meeting through Zoom.

Kirkland said he met with the leaders of two local churches in the area, Trinity Lutheran Church and St. James Episcopalian Church. Both churches expressed support for the cardroom and want Kirkland to assist them to establish a problem gambling program.

“Feedback was largely positive,” Kirkland said. “One of the things we’ve committed to this community is to do quarterly outreach to hear the concerns of the community—if there is something we could help with, we’ll do that and use our leverage as large taxpayer influencer in this city.”

Before the final vote, Bredefeld said he found it “insulting” to require Kirkland to wait 90 days for 20 tables to see if he is a “good actor.”

“Instead of having it at full force, 300 people coming back to work with 50 tables, now you have 30, which is 170 folks. Once again this council has delayed 130 from coming back to work—90 days more, on a whim to see if you’re a good actor. What an outrage,” Bredefeld said.

Another resolution in regards to the cardroom was also approved at Thursday’s meeting. Twelve percent of the cardroom’s revenue will be used for improving the local neighborhood, which includes money for city-owned and operated parks and community centers.

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Previous reporting on Club One Casino:

Fresno council delays Club One vote; Maxwell says more outreach needed