OFFICEOF=lEA’ITORN%Y GENERAL OFT=- ’ .,’
-- AUmN :
Honorable Roberq Hi Lcmg
county n~torney
Conanohe County
~Comnoh~, Texas
OPINION NO:O-7003 ,
: .. Eie: Opertition’ofPool
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 ffieetoperating ex;
the salary for the operator: Drinks and
ts would be sold at cost. Xo one would
be perriittedto enter said olub~unless he possessod
a rcenbershlpcard. bkcibsrswould not be pemltted
to bring gucats except Lmzbers o$ his imcUiate fag-
i1y.
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Honorable'iiobert
K. Lool;- r-age.2 . .' :
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l. A club organized slt~Iliarlytoths abovb
but%th the exneption that all equipneat be p&d
for by tha &arter members before ~openinSapd
thersafterdue& paid at the end ?f the nmWi.bazied.
On o?eratin~ axpemes.
..
"The 'purposebehind the pro-used o&b ia to pro-
vide reoreationalfacl.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;hersshall
niainteinor 0per.ate.apool hall u,~thinLhis State.
The tern spool ELall,fas used herein,~in&ud~esany
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- . -
'vertisingpiqoses of any kind; say pool or billitid
tcble ar etaud 01"structure of ZJJIYkind or oharacter
on whlob ~naybe played poo1 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
:or~struottire oS any kind used or exhfbited~4.uconmo-
tion u:ithany glaoe \:hcregoods,.wares or mrchandise
or other things of value are sold OI!given away or
where or u>on whioh any rzooeyor 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, or contemplateduse of any
predses,.plaoe, room, buildin;;; or psrt thereof or.
tent, or any kind or character of e!iolosuresimilar
to those mu&,, or say uninoldsed o$efispace 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
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Honorable Robert Ii. LO - Page 3
:j .‘,. 43 _ y.‘. _,
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'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 coltemplatedmay, elther.in ter&tlme
or vacatiozqapglyto the distriot judge of the
.dietrictin -6h:chis looatsd the place where suoh
pod hall.is maintained, dperattedor 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 ofta petition for such lnjunstion
shall issue a taqorary hj-uuction or restraInIn
order, and, ir upon final tia=in& thereof the
iaot be sho%nthat the defendant ie GrliLtyof 'keep-
ins, maintalninij, or osoratu a ~ool.hall, or or
oo;ltcqlati&jsuch act, l&o court baf.orewhioh 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 .defendeztin suoh suit. !
', Aots-1919, P.'l8." 1
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Artiole 653, Penal.Cod0 of Texas, 1925,‘entitl,ed,
iQeratin& pool hall," provides as l'ollo~:
Wnoevor'fihalloperate or a9intein a pool hall, :
5. as that tcrni.6 defined by the laws of thle State,
. shall be fined notless th..ntvienty-fivenor more
than .onehundred 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 thcloff&&c. hereinbefore .
defined is the exhibitl~ of said ~061 or billiard appnratue .
-forhire, r8vonue or w, or for advertiel.aSpurposes of
.
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Eonorable Robort ff. Low - Fe&e 4
z&30gollehoon v. Fortor (CO?. ,&.qII,~error refuoad) ‘_
x 2% (a¶) 334. 39 ueo of ouoh a;2phratus In coimrctlo~
r;2th eny place shere COO(~E, WQX~Sof 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.
‘.1.
‘Furthexmm, “dubs” .~o8idby sny J&&X, maziber of a
olab OF not, for the privilege of the usti ana za~taxmce of L
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