First step taken to regulate game rooms in city

The Snyder City Council took the first step toward regulating game rooms within the city limits by voting on the first reading of an ordinance that will make it very expensive to operate one.
The ordinance, which is scheduled to get a final reading in January, would require game room operators to apply for and purchase a $2,500 annual license on the facility and pay $500 per machine, per year.
Snyder Police Chief Terry Luecke said there are currently five game rooms operating in the city and that they cause problems because people congregate and issues arise — including an armed robbery earlier this year. He said he believes other illegal activities are taking place, including gambling, but that state laws make it difficult to investigate those concerns.
City Manager Merle Taylor said game rooms pose a risk to public health and safety.
The ordinance, which if passed would mostly go into effect in January, would require amusement redemption machine operators to be licensed by the city and for each machine to be inspected and tagged by the city annually. It would also set limits on where buildings housing those machines could be located, set age limits on people allowed inside, require signage and establish hours of operation.
The city’s attorney, Bryan Guymon, said that restrictions on the number of game rooms on a single lot and the rules about game room proximity to schools, churches and other buildings would go into effect six months after final approval.
As part of the application process, licensees must sign a sworn statement that the redemption machines will not be used as gambling devices.
If approved, the ordinance would establish hours of operation as 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to midnight Friday through Sunday.
Guymon said the proposed ordinance, which includes elements of other cities’ ordinances, has some teeth to it.
“It’s about the only thing the city can do to control and enforce this real public safety matter,” he said.
The council is expected to take its final vote on the ordinance on Jan. 9.