Commissioners pass ordinance to all but outlaw game rooms in Lubbock County
More than a year after it was first brought to the dais, the Lubbock County Commissioners Court on Monday passed an ordinance to significantly restrict the operation of game rooms in the unincorporated portions of the county beginning next year.
Precinct 2 Commissioner Jason Corley has been pushing since March 2023 to regulate game rooms in Lubbock County and sponsored the order ultimately adopted in a split vote during the court's regular meeting Monday.
"Just the fact that there is an ordinance in place, it will probably shut down I would say half of the game rooms, at least half of them, within the next six months," Corley told reporters after the meeting.
Though they disagreed on how to regulate them, commissioners agreed the operation of game rooms in the county is detrimental to residents' quality of life.
"They're dens of crime," said County Judge Curtis Parrish. "We've seen drug busts, we've seen shootings, we've seen robberies, we've seen all kinds of illegal activity going on in these game rooms. It's my intent to shut them down."
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The policy, as adopted, will require game rooms owners to obtain a permit to operate legally in Lubbock County beginning in January. It also prescribes a maximum number of permits the county will issue to new establishments, limiting permits to one per 30,000 people living in the unincorporated portion of the county — one single permit. Game rooms operating before the ordinance was passed are exempt from that limit but will still require a permit.
The game rooms, except for those already operating, must be located 1,000 feet from a school, church, residential neighborhood and other similar locations and must be located along a state highway or frontage road. They will be required to have a commissioned private security guard on site while open.
The sheriff's office will enforce the regulations. While they were hesitant to get involved with game room enforcement last year, sheriff's officials said Monday the office has the tools it needs to uphold the revised order. Game room operators who violate the order are subject to a $10,000 daily fine.
"We're going to make it hard for these folks to operate in Lubbock County," Parrish said. "I'm hopeful that this ordinance that we passed today will give our law enforcement the tool to shut them down."
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The ordinance as Corley originally proposed it would have allowed about 30 permitted game rooms to operate in Lubbock County. Parrish successfully amended the order to get the number down to one, noting Texas state law does not allow counties to outright ban the establishments.
"I wish it was zero, but it's only one," Parrish said.
Corley said he's concerned the singular permit allowance is too restrictive and could open the county up to future litigation by operators who find the ordinance unfair.
"I think we may get some lawsuits over it. It seems like that will be pretty likely," Corley said. "We put together something that we felt was defensible in a courtroom setting, which is where the real enforcement is going to happen. You can write all the laws and policies you want, but then when you turn around and get sued and your whole ordinance gets undone, then it's all for naught."
Parrish also pushed through an amendment that would require the singular game room to be located in Corley's southeast Lubbock County precinct.
"I asked each and every commissioner, 'Do you want game rooms? Do you or your constituents want game rooms in your precinct?' Precinct 1 said no. Precinct 3 said no. Precinct 4 said no. Precinct 2 was the only one who said, 'Yes, I want game rooms in my precinct,'" Parrish said.
When asked by Parrish on the dais if he wanted game rooms in his precinct, Corley said no.
"They decided to push (the game rooms) all into Precinct 2. Well, OK, looks like there's going to be one game room. I've probably got 50 there now, so one's better than 50," Corley told reporters. "So is it still a win for Precinct 2? Sure thing. I'm happy as can be."
The amended ordinance passed 3-2. Parrish and Precinct 3 Commissioner Gilbert Flores dissented.
Though Parrish expressed a desire to see game rooms leave Lubbock County, he said he feels the order "legitimizes" their presence.
"I am 100% and completely against game rooms in any form or function. This ordinance, in my opinion … legitimizes something that I feel should be illegal in the first place. I've been against this ordinance for that reason," Parrish said during the meeting. "I do not want to see any game rooms operate in Lubbock County — zero. Unfortunately, we cannot just completely ban them."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Commissioners pass ordinance limiting game rooms in Lubbock County