Article III — Cardrooms

4. As to license fees for cardrooms, see § 10-40 of this Code.

No person shall keep or maintain or permit to be kept or maintained in any building, place or premises owned, managed, supervised, possessed or controlled by him in the city, any tables which are used by the public or offered for use by the public for the playing of cards, and for the use of which a fee or compensation is charged players, without first obtaining a permit from the city council so to do.

(Ord. No. 152, § 1.)

A written application for permits under this article shall be filed with the city clerk, upon forms to be provided by him, and shall contain the following information:

(a)

The name, occupation, business status and residence address of the applicant.

(b)

The location and ownership of the premises for which the permit is sought.

(c)

The number of tables for which the permit is sought.

(d)

Such further information as the city council may require.

(Ord. No. 152, § 2.)

The city council shall submit each application under this article to the chief of police who shall inspect the tables and the premises in question and investigate the moral character of the applicant and secure his fingerprints. The chief of police shall not approve any application unless he is satisfied that the applicant is of good moral character, and that the operation of the cardroom at the premises proposed would not constitute a violation of any state law or of this Code or any other ordinance of the city.

(Ord. No. 152, § 2.)

The city council may deny any application for a permit under this article if, after investigating the matter, it determines that it will be injurious to the public health, safety, welfare or morals of the people of the city to operate such cardroom upon the premises for which the permit is sought.

(Ord. No. 152, § 2.)

Every person engaged in managing, possession of or conducting the business of maintaining a place where tables are used by the public for the playing of cards and for the use of which a fee or compensation is charged players, in addition to obtaining the permit required by this article, shall pay a license fee as specified in section 10-40, in advance. Persons commencing business after the beginning of the license year may procure a license for the remainder of that year by paying the proportion of the license tax provided for such business, that such remainder of the year bears to the full year.

(Ord. No. 152, § 3.)

Permits and licenses issued under this article shall not be transferable and any attempted transfer shall render the permit and license in question invalid.

Permits under this article may be suspended or revoked by the city council upon conviction for a violation of any of the provisions of this article or when in the opinion of the city council the continued operation for such place or establishment will be injurious to the public health, safety, welfare or morals of the people of the city.

(Ord. No. 152, § 9.)

No person shall maintain at any time in any place or establishment regulated by this article a greater number of card tables than set forth in such application for which a permit is granted.

(Ord. No. 152, § 5.)

All cardrooms subject to the provisions of this article shall cease operations and remain closed between the hours of 2:00 A.M., and 9:00 A.M. of each day.

(Ord. No. 152, § 4.)

It shall be unlawful for the owner, operator, tenant or person in control of any room or enclosure where such card tables are maintained or used, or while any game is played, or for any other person, to sell, dispense, give, serve or deliver to any participant within any room or enclosure where any such tables are maintained or used, any intoxicating liquor or alcoholic beverage.

It shall be unlawful for any such owner, operator, tenant or other person to permit any participant in any game played at a table in any such room or enclosure to consume any intoxicating liquor or alcoholic beverage within any such room or enclosure where any such tables are maintained, used or played at.

(Ord. No. 152, § 6, 7.)

No owner, tenant, operator or other person in charge or control of any room, enclosure, game or tables regulated by this article shall knowingly permit any person while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or alcoholic beverage to participate either directly or indirectly in any game played at any such table within such room or enclosure.

(Ord. No. 152, § 8.)

No proprietor nor person having charge of any establishment open to the public for playing cards where a fee or compensation is charged players in the city shall suffer or permit any person under the age of twenty-one years to enter, be in, remain in or visit such establishment.

(Ord. No. 152, § 10.)

No card table whereupon card games may be played shall be maintained behind any closed, locked or barred door at any place of business in the city. The main entrance of any premises for which any permit has been issued pursuant to this article shall at all times remain unlocked and unbarred while any games are being played upon the premises; and at all such times all premises where any games are being played shall be kept in such condition as to be accessible for inspection to all police officers. No permit for the conduct of any card game shall be issued for any portion of any premises unless such portion is in close proximity to and readily accessible by all police officers from the main entrance of such premises.

(Ord. No. 152, § 12.)

Every employee of any person licensed to operate an establishment open to the public for playing cards where a fee or compensation is charged players shall prior to his employment secure a permit from the chief of police. The application for such permit shall be accompanied by fingerprints of the applicant and

shall contain all information deemed relevant by the chief of police. The chief of police shall not approve any application unless he is satisfied that the applicant is of good moral character.

(Ord. No. 152, § 11.)

The provisions of this article shall not apply to the cardrooms of recognized fraternal organizations operating under charter from the head of such organization, not open to the general public, and whose membership is restricted to those persons regularly and formally elected to membership therein and paying regular dues to such organization, but such exceptions shall not extend to any organization operated and maintained principally for the purpose of conducting or permitting the conduct of card games.

The provisions of this article shall not apply to any occasional card game sponsored by any fraternal, religious or social group in an establishment which is not primarily used by the public for the playing of cards.

No license for such establishment shall be issued by the license collector unless the applicant therefor has a valid permit in effect covering the specific location in question.

(Ord. No. 152, § 3.)