EAGLE LAKE — Hoping to forestall devoted sport rooms from opening whereas tightening oversight of current gaming machines, the Eagle Lake City Council started discussing an ordinance Tuesday, July 14 that may regulate the place and the way the machines might function throughout the metropolis.
City Manager Tink Jackson mentioned he has been approached by a number of individuals fascinated with opening sport rooms that function 8-liner slot machines, primarily in buildings which can be at the moment vacant.
“We have neighboring cities that have gaming available. If people are going to go play the game machines, then we need an ordinance in place here that gives the city the right to inspect and keep businesses from operating illegally,” Jackson mentioned.
The ordinance may:
• prohibit standalone sport room companies;
• restrict current companies to a most variety of gaming machines (council mentioned anyplace from two to 5 machines); • establ ish licensing and per-machine charges; • permit metropolis inspections; and
• require surveillance cameras. “We need to do something before these businesses start coming in,” Jackson mentioned.
Chief of Police Donald Chaney suggested council to make the set up of dwell surveillance cameras obligatory for companies with sport machines in use. “You’ll always have that criminal element coming in,” Chief Chaney mentioned.
The metropolis at the moment has no ordinance governing gaming machines. Council’s dialogue final week comes greater than seven years after a 2018 multi-agency investigation resulted in unlawful gambling-related arrests at three companies in Eagle Lake and two in Garwood.
Jackson mentioned one enterprise within the metropolis at the moment operates 4 or 5 gaming machines. Under a proposed ordinance, the town may set up licensing charges and a per-machine price whereas additionally setting a most variety of machines allowed at every enterprise.
Revenue generated by licensing and machine charges would go to the town.
Alderman Billy Sosa mentioned many Eagle Lake residents already journey to neighboring communities to play gaming machines.
“We might as well have the money here and make some profit,” Sosa mentioned. He added that any enterprise wanting to put in gaming machines could be required to comply with the town’s rules. “We’ll do it our way, not their way, if they want the machines,” he mentioned.
Council members indicated they favored strict rules, together with limiting the variety of gaming machines allowed at current companies whi le discouraging devoted sport rooms from finding in Eagle Lake. No motion was taken on the proposed ordinance.