League City City Council postponed a vote on whether to prohibit gambling devices in the city to July at its June 23 meeting.
The details
At its June 23 meeting, City Council voted unanimously to move the second and final reading of an ordinance prohibiting gambling devices in the city. Earlier in June, council unanimously approved the first reading to prohibit the gambling devices.
Council member Chad Tressler made the motion to move the vote to July, but did not clarify his reasoning at the meeting.
Digging deeper
The ordinance specifically prohibits the operation or display of electronic gaming devices commonly known as eight-liners, as well as video poker, keno, blackjack and slot-machine-style devices, according to city documents.
In doing so, the city declared both the gambling devices themselves and the premises where they are operated to be a public nuisance and violations as misdemeanors, according to city documents.
The ordinance distinguishes between lawful amusement devices like arcade games and claw machines, which Mayor Nick Long said were often used as a loophole to operate the gambling devices.
“In the past you could bring these gaming places in and say they were just for entertainment value and they were paying out stuffed animals and tokens ... but in reality, they’re just illegal gambling places,” Long said.
