Case Information
*1 GENERAL OFT=- ’ .,’ OFFICEOF=lEA’ITORN%Y -- AUmN Honorable Roberq Hi Lcmg
county n~torney Conanohe County
~Comnoh~, Texas
OPINION NO:O-7003 , .. Eie: Opertition’of Pool prohibited by Art; -./ R.C.S. ahd Art.
He have reoelved’yourk
‘ion, Which is quo>ed as foil
arshi;, restrict- n who desire to .
rs an operator at e no charge for par- 1 or bllliardg but there es for each mfibar until?. ad been met. Thereafter xtent neoessmf to ffieet operating ex; the salary for the operator: Drinks and ts would be sold at cost. Xo one would be perriitted to enter said olub~ unless he possessod a rcenbershlp card. bkcibsrs would not be pemltted to bring gucats except Lmzbers o$ his imcUiate fag- i1y.
1% .
Honorable'iiobert K. Lool; - r-age.2 . .' A club organized slt~Iliarlytoths abovb
l . but%th the exneption that all equipneat be p&d
for by tha &arter members before ~openinS apd
thersafter due& paid at the end ?f the nmWi.bazied.
On o?eratin~ axpemes.
"The 'purpose behind the pro-used o&b ia to pro- vide reoreational facl.Lities for returging vetezam without violating A&. 653 of the Peql Co&."
Artlole 4668, Zevised Civil Stethtes of Texqs, 1925, ' entitled 9001 ifalla~ , provides as follows:
*No person aoting for h&self or ot;hers shall niaintein or 0per.ate.a pool hall u,~thinLhis State.
The tern spool ELall,f as used herein,~in&ud~es any room, hall, bui1dl.n~ or ;urt thereof,, tent or 0112 closure or say kin6 sL&lar to those nacisd, or my . . ..i inolosed op& space, j.ni~hW~ are exhhibited for hire ; reveme, rees .or @&.a of any kicd, or for ad- . -
'vertising piqoses of any kind; say pool or billitid
tcble ar etaud 01" structure of ZJJIY kind or oharacter on whlob ~nay be played poo 1 or billiards, or say gaze sinilar to pcol or bLll%ards played with balls, .oues or pins or eny similar devioe. Any such table, s-tand oS any kind used or exhfbited~4.u conmo- :or~struottire tion u:ith any glaoe \:hcre goods,. wares or mrchandise or other things of value are sold OI! given away or where or u>on whioh any rzooey or thing of value Is pald or exchanged shall bo regarded QS a glace where is exhibited the sme for .hire, revmue or gain,..
'The habitusl, actual, contemplated use of any
predses,.plaoe, room, buildin;;; or psrt thereof or.
tent, or any kind or character of e!iolosure similar to those mu&,, or say uninoldsed o$efi space for
.. the purpose of exhibiting any table, stand or struc- turo of my kind doscrlted in &MS titicle msy be hen- joined at the suit of either the State or any oitizen
.-
Honorable Robert Ii. LO - Page 3 _ y.‘. _,
:j .‘,.
'thereof. The Attorney General of t&Is State, or
any district or county attorney, or any.oitisen
of eny oounty In which eny pool hall is maintslned, operated or coltemplated may, elther.in ter&tlme or vacatiozqapglyto the distriot judge of the .dietrict in -6h:ch is looatsd the place where suoh pod hall. is maintained, dperatted or contemplated, or to~aay district &d&a in Travis County, for on %njUctlonto prohibit the maiatenegce and opera- tion of any ouch pool hall. Such judge upon the
pr&S8nttetion oft a petition for such lnjunstion
shall issue a taqorary restraInIn hj-uuction order, and, ir upon final tia=in& thereof the
iaot be sho%nthat the defendant ie GrliLty of 'keep- ins, maintalninij, or osoratu a ~ool.hall, or or
oo;ltcqlati&j such act, l&o court baf.ore whioh the oase is triad shall. @ant.a permanent injunction ag;iinst .seh party ae prayed for inthc,p+tition. . ..~_ Any person o&5aratJn& or oontemplating the'operation of any pool hell in violation-of any provtiion of : thLs artiole, or anyone aid5.q or abettinS such per- rqn nsy be &ado a party .defendezt in suoh suit. ! ', Aots-1919, P.'l8." 1'
Artiole 653, Penal. Cod0 of Texas, 1925,‘entitl,ed, iQeratin& pool hall," provides as l'ollo~: Wnoevor'fihall operate or a9intein a pool hall,
5. as that tcrni.6 defined by the laws of thle State, . shall be fined notless th..n tvienty-five nor more
than .one hundred Gollare or be confined in jall'sot 18~0 t&m one month nor more than one year. Eaoh day of suoh violation shall bc a eeparate offeise."
I% believe the @evaman of thcl off&&c. hereinbefore
defined is the exhibitl~ of said ~061 or billiard appnratue . -for hire, r8vonue or w, or for advertiel.aS purposes of *4 li) ' Eonorable Robort ff. Low - Fe&e 4
z&30 gollehoon v. Fortor (CO?. ,&.qII,~ error refuoad) ‘_ 39 ueo of ouoh a;2phratus In coimrctlo~ x 2% (a¶) 334.
r;2th eny place shere COO(~E, WQX~S of m~ohafidltse or other thinrp bf vdce ore ~014 car ~lvan .o~ay or whore ,or upon Aloh my ~nanog or t!:ing of valu% ,$a pi4 or oxo!x~npti uhall bG To@rded as a plaoo &ore is exhIbitod the saxe fox E, revmuo or a.
‘would not tho %xlnks dnd refresbzmts . . . aoZd at cost” in .oonncatioa with tha ogerotioa of the olub, uudor oltkor of year tw plans enmratob boroin. 005ctitata 8 Wmx rihore I or Given amy or ahore 02 upon v&iob any qnoy or thlqe of, vaZuo IS raid OX OxchQn~Od?" Ye think so In vlort of tha &lcii.qg in colillteo 0. st6i0, 119 cm R. 3.31, 44 S. 1% (2&) 991, and xalker v. State (cr. npp.) 44 9. ;Y. (Cd,). 995.
‘. . ‘Furthexmm, “dubs” .~o8id by sny J&&X, maziber of a L olab OF not, for the privilege of the usti ana za~taxmce of tu6h p00L or billiard eppazatue COnstltUtCe tho OtiibitiOn of . _. 4pao fox birsr rwcnt30 ox @m em?, qg such, is In viol.~tien .” of law. Jn thcs 3i#it of auwrous deoiiio~% of the col;rl;s of c
tble Slate and Ooiclons of thhio Zx?mrtzvmt whioh hold vsrious