SAN JOSE, Calif. -- A Santa Clara woman faces a child endangerment charge for allegedly leaving her three-year-old daughter in her car while she gambled.

San Jose police arrested 25-year-old Maria Sison Thursday evening outside the Garden City Casino.

A security guard found Sison's daughter strapped in a car seat with the doors locked and rear windows cracked slightly. The girl was pulled from the car and she was hot and sweaty.

The child's father picked her up as Sison was taken to jail. Sison was out of jail Friday night.

"Whoever came to get the child, they had no clue, they were hugging the baby," said Tiffany Walker who witnessed the reunion.

Garden City management wouldn't comment Friday night, but police said casino cameras showed Sison playing cards while her daughter was in the car for at least 30 minutes.

Sison had no explanation when she was paged from the tables, San Jose Police Sgt. Jason Dwyer said.

"Caught, hand in the cookie jar, doing something she knew was extremely poor judgment," Sgt. Dwyer said.

If the girl had been any younger, she could have died, according to one expert.

"The thing about infants and children, their bodies heat up lot faster than adults, they heat up three to five times faster," Jan Null, of the Golden Gate Weather Services said.

Outside the casino Friday night, patrons were shocked.

"I have a gambling problem, but I would never leave my two month old in the car," Robin Fillie said.

Fillie said she is trying to stop gambling, but it's hard.

"I spent all my money, my car payment, both bank accounts, over-drafted them both of them, ya that was pretty bad," Fillie said.