Case Information
*1 ,.,-. OFFICE Of THE Al-l-ORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
kar SW:
ThLa will bo in refare
W, 1941, rwusstlng apini
followlag~mtteri
the maohlnea. l z
I Bh3r. tocm to ‘mtsldero ub hooae is 80 wrunged the wohines hey 6~ desire; an tbst ctmngers wha play the Courre ir&bt alecr play tbc abohintta the looker room pay for th*Ir ggra4n fem.*
yhlle the maehinsa cre not deaorlbod, we proceed upon the osauai~tion Xhat they do not dltier from thn oommon vm-iety 0r alot mohlne derlos or the Hyng-arf” variety. your onininn Is eminsntly oorrect thnt ti2e omration and mo~in- 5i’e tsl~ere trnmoa ol’ auoh mschlnse by en incar-iomted. country club 18 illegal.
Ronarnble A. J. %rmub Jr., Page 2
-JOT are rpeolfIoelly branded am gambling Ucrloer ln Artlale 619 of the Penal Code. Artiole 631 maker it un- lawful for an7 prrr~n knavingly to no&In In a place where they are they crc exhI~~te& Artlole 634 deol,ares agelnrt ~~8110 palioy en4 em e publio auleanos. Itoreover, to constltate l lotteries’ slot meohlns8 hate been held such by the Constitution and Penal Code of this aa me prohIbIted stmte. Berry v. State 39 Tax. Cr. Re 240, 45 9.X. 571; f)endergart v. State (Ct. Or. AQQ. 1899 7’ 57 S.V. 850: HIghtOwer v. Stete, 124 tex. Cr. Rep. 24ij 61 S.Y. (2d) 618.
‘?he aetra taot that there gambling 6evloes are
aelntelnd by en u aruoratea sountryg&& dose not ohange the result. Artlole 4664 of Vernon’s Anaoteted Civil Statute8 dealare that,
ItAny * * . oountry crlub l l + where persons rssort for the pwyors of gambling * + * is hsre- by deolerSd to be a oommqn nulsenoe. l * ** In Opinion go,. WXSM, we advI6ed tho,6eoretery of State thda oorvoretloa COI@ not be formed for the purpose of afiordlng Its members an’opportunity to play at l gemea* qrohlbIte4 by the Penal Code.
In Opinion lo. O-1145 we held that the Oorparete
veil l ffor4eU no pmteotlon to a ooimtry olub operating an *open saloon* In violation of the Conrtitutlon and TOXWB Liquor Control Aot.
Thea. rules are preoisely ap+iaable here. It oen not b.0 gelnsald the9 OIW penal lava aMat g@&&g and a- u gambling oecure is uaually of na oon- saJx!lm-. For example; we iin& the Court In Soott sequence. t. State, 69 Tax. Cr. Rev. 616, 166 9.u. 226, aaylng: *To bet at A gmas of dice I8 W&iwful wherever the game ocoure.*
Ve note your brief’ cites our Oplnlon Ho. 0-2683, There wa held thet und,er a arlninal stat&e prahlblting oertaln i ’ aotr by *any vb r80n, l a oarporstlon could not be rlned or Im- .
>rlaonsd, oItIng Judge Lynch fnt. 6001 & Publishing Co. v. State, 84 Tex. Cr. Rm. 45Qi 203 5.V. 526; Overt v. State, 97 Tex. Cr. Rep. 202.. 260 9.K 656; end 12 Ten. Jur. 271. Rowever, we there
.;. .-.. 840 Honorable A. J. Bryan, Jr., page 3
pointed out that InQIrlduals, offlcere and agents of the cor?oratIon, adnnected with the illegal aot might be prore- cuted. ~%nwot(r, thlr holding wuld In no way restore lcgel- Ity to nor ~prevent the sun?ressIon of archinsa vhlch are sm gambling Bevloea and are exhibited for that nurpore. Many romedie exist for their supwension. :
Under Artlola 637 of the Penal Code the may be
destroyed by order of oourt. Roberts v. Ooscett v TCA 1938) 69 9.X. (2d) 507 and Koore v. Alame (TCA 1925) 91 S.W. (26) 447 bold no one o~n~oeeeae prooerty rIghta In E slot msohlae; and in the latttr case it vas he14 that a sheriff hp.8 right sieve slot msohlner without 8 warrant, 80 long aa he aote ur)on nrobable oauee and doea not commit trer- nasa In gaining entrance to the qremlrar. Rote, houever, that the reoeirt onto of Cal'lison I. State (TCA 1940) 146 6.W. (2U) 468, requires they be exhlblted for the purpose of gaming.
State P. Fnretrs Loan and Tru6t Co., 01 Tex. S30,
17 3.i. 60, State v. Jockey Club, 98 9.%. 642, Alamo Club v. State, 147 %5.X. 639, and City of Kink v. Grlfllth Amuse- ment Co. (Sup. 19361 100 9.X. (ea) 695, a8 examples, are all case, reoognlclng the duty of the State to Institute forfeiture proceedinga agelnst tboee eorpcrGIonr mI,eusing the corvorate franchise by vlolatlng the crlninal law.
Flnally you fire referred to Mtlole 4067 of Vernon’s
Annotated Civil Statuter, providing: .The hebltual use, notual, threatened or aootes- ; elated of any prewises; place or building or qart thereof. for any of the follouln;i urea shall be enJolned at the suit of tither t!w State or any cltlren thereof: "(1) For gaming or kcsplng or exhlbltlng gamer prohibited by IN..*,
Tn'State v. Ftabl: and i?owley United (TCA, 1938) 116 S.W. (Ed) 917 end Robb and Rowley United, Inc. v. (TCA i ’ w 19%) 127 9.W. (2d) 221, the Court held that lotteries we
a er3eoles of gaming and nulaance~rhlch We Stn,te Is authorized to &press by InJunction unfler krtlole 4607 of ths &vised Clvll Ststutee, snd our ODinion Ea. 3-2290 Is in accordance with thin rule. Carta.lnly, if lotteries are a snecies rf
Ronorable A. J. Bryan, Jr.. page 4
m ubioh the State la suthorlaed to rupprera by InJunotIon under Artlole 466T.n fortlo~ the lsay muppresr slot aaoh- Ines, mpa gambling dtvloes. We eo held in Opinion Ho. o-2052.
To rsiktr, lt la our opinion rnd you are advised that riot maahiner are gambling detlcee m ,p4. They may not legally be operated and maintained by an Inaorporated coun- try olub. and the State ir autborl?ed to suooram their main- tenanaa.
Very truly your0 ATTORKEX OlCWUL OP TEXAS Aaslstant JDSt Jr