Illegal Gambling Operation Uses Forged Commission Credentials
Summary
The California Gambling Control Commission issued an advisory on January 15, 2026 warning that an illegal gambling operation called 'California Scratch Card' is fraudulently using the Commission's name and logo to demand 'Administrative Processing Fees' from supposed winners. The operation appears based in the Philippines and is primarily targeting victims through Facebook. The Commission does not issue licenses to this operation and does not require such fees. The Commission is pursuing available remedies.
“The Commission does not require "Administrative Processing Fees" or other such fees that these illegal gambling operations claim.”
What changed
The Commission issued an advisory identifying California Scratch Card as an illegal gambling operation that forges Commission credentials to demand fraudulent fees. This operation misuses the Commission's name and logo and claims winners must pay fees before collecting winnings — claims the Commission explicitly disavows. The Commission is pursuing available options to address the matter.
The primary audience is the general public who may encounter this scam on Facebook or other social media. California-licensed gambling operators should be aware this advisory does not impose new obligations on them, but they may receive inquiries from customers who encounter the scam. The Commission's contact points for verifying legitimate gambling operations are the Department of Justice Bureau of Gambling Control (gamblingcontrol@doj.ca.gov) and the Commission (comments@cgcc.ca.gov).
Archived snapshot
Apr 20, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
January 15, 2026
ADVISORY: ILLEGAL GAMBLING OPERATION USING FORGED COMMISSION CREDENTIALS
The California Gambling Control Commission (Commission) has received information that an illegal gambling operation called California Scratch Card is using the Commission's name and logo to claim that winners must pay them an "Administrative Processing Fee" imposed by the Commission before they can collect their winnings. Examples are attached to this notice. It appears this illegal gambling operation is primarily operating on Facebook, and may be operating on other social media platforms. Based on the information the Commission has received, this illegal gambling operation appears to be based in the Philippines and is targeting citizens of the Philippines. The Commission does not issue, nor has it ever issued, licenses to California Scratch Card or any other similar illegal gambling operations. The Commission does not require "Administrative Processing Fees" or other such fees that these illegal gambling operations claim. The Commission is currently pursuing all available options to address this matter. Illegal gambling operations such as these are often fronts for scams and thefts, as they can keep a player's deposited funds, refuse to pay out winnings, or demand payment from the winner before releasing the winnings, and then not release the winnings at all. If you ever have a question about the legality of a gambling operation, please contact the Department of Justice, Bureau of Gambling Control, at gamblingcontrol@doj.ca.gov or the Commission at comments@cgcc.ca.gov. Sincerely,
LISA WARDALL Executive Director
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