Beginning July 1, 2023, Game Rooms operating in Crane County, Texas will be subject to the Game Room Ordinance adopted by the Commissioners Court on May 9, 2023. Under the authority of the Local Government Code, the Commissioners Court approved limiting the number of Game Rooms in the county to no more than three, while also putting restrictions on where Game Rooms may be located within the county. Only two Game Rooms shall be licensed to operate within the city limits at a time. These specific restrictions will not apply to Game Rooms in operation before the effective date of the Game Room Ordinance so long as the Game Rooms comply with all other requirements of the Ordinance.
No Game Room shall operate in Crane County without a license from the county after the effective date of the Ordinance. To receive a license, a Game Room owner must submit an application to the county and undergo a background check. Game Rooms must renew their license monthly to continue operating. Game Rooms shall be required to keep video surveillance of the gaming floor and comply with official requests from the county or law enforcement agencies. Failure to comply with the Game Room Ordinance will result in a Game Room being shut down by the county. The rules and requirements of the Game Room Ordinance are in addition to any regulations of the City of Crane, where applicable. A copy of the Game Room Ordinance and the initial and renewal application will be available at www.co.crane.tx.us in the near future.
The legal status of Game Rooms is a little murky due to a pending appellate case out of Fort Worth, but currently Game Rooms are permitted to operate in Texas by statutory authority. Game Rooms may not program any of the gaming devices to pay out more than ten times the amount to play the device or $5.00, whichever is less. Gaming devices paying out more than this limit are in violation of Texas law and Game Room owners, employees, and even patrons participating in any way with illegal gambling may be subject to arrest and criminal charges. In addition to the adopted Game Room Ordinance, Game Rooms are required to comply with Texas law at all times.
The County Attorney for Crane County worked with the Commissioners Court to draft the Game Room Ordinance and the County Attorney's Office has been tasked with its enforcement. Questions about licensing should be addressed to the County Attorney's Office.
