Santa Anita Park sues California Department of Justice over alleged warrantless seizure

Just days after California police officers removed new gambling machines from Santa Anita Park, the Los Angeles Turf Club (LATC), which operates the racecourse, has filed a writ of mandate against the California Department of Justice (DOJ).

It was on January 15 when the horse-racing location installed 26 new gambling machines, but they were removed by police officers from the state Department of Justice shortly after.

Unsurprisingly, Santa Anita has filed suit against Rob Bonta's office for what it claims was an unconstitutional seizure of 26 HHR machines https://t.co/KRLlmkgiEn

— Jessica Welman (@jesswelman) January 21, 2026

This was reported to be due to the machines being considered to be in breach of California’s exclusive tribal gaming rights laws. The raid is described, however, within the filing, to have taken place “without warning or a warrant” on January 17, 2026.

In the lawsuit, which has been seen by ReadWrite, the LATC states they are seeking the return of the self-service tote terminals which were seized by the DOJ. They are also seeking a declaration prohibiting DOJ, or any other state agency, from causing the destruction of those terminals.

Los Angeles Turf Club, which operates Santa Anita Park, is seeking return of self-service betting machines

The 52-page filing starts by alleging the respondents “unlawfully seized equipment belonging to Petitioner, which operates Santa Anita Park.”

It continues to say: “This Petition is necessitated by Respondents’ wrongful conduct and their refusal, both before the raid and in the days since, to provide any legal basis or explanation for their warrantless seizure of Petitioner’s property, which Respondents have threatened to destroy.”

Santa Anita Park has been a site of horse racing since 1934 and the lawsuit suggests thoroughbred horse racing in the State of California generates around $1.7 billion in annual economic impact for local communities, with 26,000 jobs also supported.

According to the petitioner in the filing, the self-service tote terminals offered a 3 x 3 wager on concluded thorough bred horse races, with these allowing for patrons to view handicapping information prior to making a wager. They suggest the rollout of the terminals followed a lengthy period of discussion between various California government agencies.

They also allege they have not received any statement of the DOJ’s position other than a form notice provided to Santa Anita Park employees at the conclusion of the DOJ’s seizure.

With the legislation recently being filed, all eyes will now be on the California Department of Justice to make the next move.

Featured Image: Credit to Lisa Andres on Wikimedia Commons, CC 2.0

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