Nueces County commissioners pass stricter regulations on game rooms

Chase Rogers, Corpus Christi Caller Times
·2 min read
A closed game room is pictured in a McArdle Street strip mall on April 7, 2022.
A closed game room is pictured in a McArdle Street strip mall on April 7, 2022.

Nueces County commissioners voted to approve new game room regulations subject to a few amendments on Wednesday, signaling the end of what has been a lively, years-long discussion by stakeholders.

The vote is the result of months of collaboration between law enforcement, the county attorney's office and the Commissioners Court, which considered the suggestions of bingo hall operators, game room owners and residents in multiple meetings.

The new regulations will take effect on Oct. 1.

"We are very excited," Margaret Baldwin, a bookkeeper for bingo halls in Corpus Christi, told the Caller-Times after the vote. "We'll reiterate that nobody is trying to get rid of game rooms. We're just trying to regulate them."

More: Can Nueces County find a solution to illegal game rooms? Here's what other counties do.

On May 11, commissioners voted to table the item for the Wednesday meeting. On April 20, the court held a highly attended special meeting to hear from stakeholders.

Law enforcement has estimated more than 100 game rooms are operating within Corpus Christi. These establishments, which experts say run on small budgets and can attract crime, have hurt the revenue of bingo halls that are legally required to donate to charities.

The greatest concentrations of game rooms in Corpus Christi are in Calallen, Central City, the Southside and Flour Bluff, according to a heat map shown to the City Council on Dec. 7, 2021.
The greatest concentrations of game rooms in Corpus Christi are in Calallen, Central City, the Southside and Flour Bluff, according to a heat map shown to the City Council on Dec. 7, 2021.

Last month, representatives of both the Nueces County Sheriff's Office and the Corpus Christi Police Department indicated they favored the new rules, saying an ordinance will help curb illegal gambling in the county.

Baldwin was among a few supporters of game room regulations who attended the Wednesday meeting and the majority of the previous court meetings on the subject. The few amendments her group suggested to the Commissioners Court will go before the county attorney for inclusion.

The court agreed to adjust the hours of operation in the previous draft. Starting Oct. 1, game rooms will only be able to operate between noon and midnight Sunday through Saturday, and noon to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

When the regulations go into effect, no game rooms will be allowed to operate within 1,500 feet of a school, church or neighborhood. All game rooms will be required to have armed security.

The Caller-Times looked at other counties that have implemented stricter game room ordinances last month. In Harris and Victoria counties, defense attorneys specializing in representing game room owners said the new rules "pushed the illicit game rooms underground."

In Victoria County, which passed a game room ordinance in 2019, the majority of game rooms closed after the new rule took effect.

Chase Rogers covers local government and industry in South Texas. Contact him at chase.rogers@caller.com or on Twitter @chasedrogers. You can support local journalism with a subscription to the Caller-Times. 

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Nueces County commissioners pass stricter regulations on game rooms