On their first opportunity since a new law took effect Jan. 1, seven casino-owning Native American tribes filed suit in Sacramento County Thursday against dozens of California card rooms, opening a new front in one of last year’s most expensive political battles.

The tribes' suit alleges that the gambling halls scattered across California are illegally offering card games such as blackjack and pai gow poker that cut into the tribes' gambling revenues.

California casino-owning Native American tribes are taking cardrooms to court, alleging they’re running illegal games. On Wednesday, Jan. 1, Senate Bill 549, the Tribal Nations Access to Justice Act,

California's Native American tribes are seeking to stop non-tribally owned casinos from offering Las Vegas-style card games like blackjack in a legal challenge that could dramatically upend the state's gambling industry.

The tribes’ suit alleges that the gambling halls scattered across California are illegally offering card games such as black jack and pai gow poker.

A group of Native American tribes in California on Thursday sued dozens of licensed card clubs in the state, claiming they illegally provide so-called banked games similar to those offered by Las Vegas casinos where gamblers play against the house.