Find below a summary of the news article published in forthworthrport.org on Oct 8 2024:
- Fort Worth plans to ban game rooms citywide by the end of 2024 after nearly a decade of legal battles.
- Litigation began in 2015 over the city's attempts to regulate and prohibit game rooms.
- The Texas Supreme Court denied a game room operator's request to rehear the case in June 2024.
- Game rooms typically feature six or more game machines, often found in gas stations and convenience stores.
- These machines, called eight-liners, were classified as illegal gambling devices by the city.
- Critics argue that game rooms attract crime, especially in neighborhoods like Fort Worth’s Northside.
- In 2014, City Council adopted ordinances to restrict game rooms to industrial zones and away from schools, homes, and places of worship.
- Game room owners claimed legality under Texas' “fuzzy animal” exception, which allows noncash prizes under $5.
- In 2022, the Fort Worth Court of Appeals ruled eight-liners are not exempt under the “fuzzy animal” law.
- The Texas Supreme Court denied further review of the case in December 2023 and dismissed a rehearing request in June 2024.
- The City Council must now amend zoning and licensing ordinances to formally ban game rooms.
- The city will notify game room owners to remove eight-liners, and legal action may follow for non-compliance.
- Council member Jared Williams called this a "big win" for neighborhoods.
Complete News Article available at
Disclaimer: The above summary has been derived based on my own understanding of the news. For complete and detailed information, please refer to the original news link provided above.