Score one for the video poker industry.
Less than a month after Commerce approved an ordinance aimed at controlling pool halls and game rooms, the city finds itself backing down sharply.
City Manager Clarence Bryant told the city council at Monday night’s work session that an Atlanta firm representing the video gaming industry fired off two letters to the city over its ordinance threatening legal action.
“It looks like we can’t do a lot of stuff we wanted to do,” said Bryant, who later added that the ordinance “was probably going to be whittled down a good bit.”
The ordinance was drafted by City Attorney John Stell and apparently drew heavily upon a similar Winder ordinance. Stell, said Bryant, would “send over the language” necessary for fixing problems with the document. The city could approve the changes at Monday night’s meeting, which takes place at 6:30 p.m. in the Commerce Room of the Commerce Civic Center.
The ordinance was the city’s not-so-subtle attempt to eliminate video poker machines altogether by levying a $500 fee per machine. It also defined pool halls and game rooms, slapping annual fees on billiard tables and video games.
The gaming industry did not take the challenge lying down.
“They (the legal firm) stand ready to jump on anybody who threatens that activity,” Bryant noted.
“They have a powerful lobby too,” added Mayor Charles L. Hardy Jr.
The city can forget about the $500 annual fee for video poker games. It turns out that the owners of the machines already pay the state a permit fee.
“I don’t think we can regulate their number either,” Bryant commented later.
The legislature at one time banned video poker games altogether, but the group filed suit and succeeded in overturning the law.
