Chapter 5.05
CARD ROOMS
Sections:
5.05.020 Limitation on the number of guests.
5.05.030 Types of card games authorized.
5.05.040 Portion of premises used for card playing limited.
5.05.050 Fees for card playing.
5.05.060 Persons shall not share in winnings or charge additional fee on playing cards.
5.05.070 Rules of card games to be posted.
5.05.080 Limits on wagers in card games.
5.05.090 Change in method of wagering prohibited.
5.05.100 Licensee to furnish all cards, chips and other services.
5.05.110 Wagers to be made with chips only.
5.05.120 Wagers by other than participants prohibited.
5.05.130 Person not to bring their own cards or chips.
5.05.140 Devices, mechanisms, giving advantage – Prohibited.
5.05.150 Owners and employers not to play cards on licensee’s premises.
5.05.160 No person shall have someone play for him or assist another participant.
5.05.170 Participants to compete on equal terms – Deal to rotate among players.
5.05.180 Number of tables and players limited.
5.05.200 Daily records – Card games.
5.05.210 Licensee to prevent cheating in card games.
5.05.220 Hours for card games.
5.05.010 Definitions.
(1) "Card game," for the purposes of these rules, is a social card game as defined by RCW 9.46.020(18), played by consenting adults wherein wagers are made and collected by the participants based upon the outcome of the game.
(2) "Public card room" is that area of the premises of a profit-seeking retail business which has been set aside for the playing of cards by members of the public as a commercial stimulant to that business in accordance with state law and the rules of the Washington State Gambling Commission.
(3) "Social card room" is that area of the premises of a bona fide charitable or nonprofit organization which has been set aside for the playing of cards by bona fide members of that organization and their guests only, in accordance with state law and the rules of the Washington State Gambling Commission.
(4) "Guest" shall include only those persons not a member of a bona fide charitable or nonprofit organization, who are allowed to use the facilities of the organization to play cards, only when accompanied by a regular member of the organization and for a fee not to exceed the maximum fee for the playing of cards as set by the commission.
If a person is charged, directly or indirectly, more than the maximum fee set by the commission to enter the facility and play cards, he is not a guest for the purpose of these rules. (Ord. 163 § 1, 1975)
5.05.020 Limitation on the number of guests.
No bona fide charitable or nonprofit organization shall allow any more than 25 percent of all persons playing card games in the premises to be guests at any given time. (Ord. 163 § 2, 1975)
5.05.030 Types of card games authorized.
(1) The following card games may be played in public card rooms and in social card rooms licensed by the Washington State Gambling Commission:
(a) Poker:
(i) Five card stud poker;
(ii) Five card draw poker;
(iii) Either of the above but with low ball object.
(b) Hearts.
(c) Bridge.
(d) Pinochle.
(e) Cribbage.
(f) Rummy.
(g) Mah-jongg (tiles).
(h) Pan.
(2) Card games not herein authorized are prohibited. (Ord. 163 § 3, 1975)
5.05.040 Portion of premises used for card playing limited.
Only those specific parts or portions of licensed premises which have been approved by the Washington State Gambling Commission for card games shall be used for that purpose. Card playing involving wagers shall not take place upon any other portions or parts of the premises. (Ord. 163 § 4, 1975)
5.05.050 Fees for card playing.
No fee shall be charged a person, directly or indirectly, to play in a card game except those fees set forth below, the proceeds from which shall be used solely to offset the expenses of allowing persons to play cards on the premises:
(1) For all games, except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, the fee shall not exceed $1.00 per one-half hour, or portion thereof, per player. The fee shall be collected by the licensee in cash directly from the player at the time he begins to play and each one-half hour thereafter.
(2) The fee for entry into a tournament for prizes on the premises of a bona fide charitable or nonprofit organization shall not exceed $25.00, including all separate fees which might be paid by a player for various facets of the tournament.
Provided, that this rule shall not prevent an organization which has been established and operated for purposes other than card playing from charging its usual membership fee to belong to the organization. (Ord. 163 § 5, 1975)
5.05.060 Persons shall not share in winnings or charge additional fee on playing cards.
No organization, corporation or person shall collect or obtain or charge any percentage of, or shall collect or obtain any portion of the money wagered or won by any of the players, except that a player may collect his winnings. No organization, corporation, or person shall collect or obtain any money or thing of value from, nor shall charge or impose any fee upon, any person which either enables him to play or results from his playing card games, except the admission fee allowed by the Washington State Gambling Commission; provided, that this rule shall not prevent an organization which has been established and operated for purposes other than card playing from charging its usual membership fee to belong to the organization. (Ord. 163 § 6, 1975)
5.05.070 Rules of card games to be posted.
All rules relating to all authorized card games allowed by the license, including the rules of the games, the manner or method of playing the game, the house limits, the rules of conduct for players and any other house rules shall be conspicuously posted so that they might be easily read by any person on the portion of the premises used for card playing. The house shall settle all disputes. No rule shall conflict with Chapter 9.46 RCW including any amendments thereto or the rules of the Washington State Gambling Commission. (Ord. 163 § 7, 1975)
5.05.080 Limits on wagers in card games.
The following limits shall not be exceeded in making wagers on any card game. For games in which the following method of wagering is allowed:
(1) Multiple wagers per player per hand during each round, each wager or raise shall not exceed $2.00, with a limit of two raises per round.
(2) Single wagers per player per hand during each round (no raises), each wager shall not exceed $2.00.
(3) Single wager per player per game, each wager shall not exceed $5.00.
(4) Amount per point, each point shall not equal more than $0.05 in value. Any ante shall not be for more than the maximum single wager, without raises, allowed in the method of betting being used for the hand to be played.
No licensee shall allow these wagering limits to be exceeded in a card game on his premises. (Ord. 163 § 8, 1975)
5.05.090 Change in method of wagering prohibited.
Once a method of betting is chosen for a particular hand or game, that method must be used until the hand or game is completed. (Ord. 163 § 9, 1975)
5.05.100 Licensee to furnish all cards, chips and other services.
Each licensee shall furnish the following items and services in connection with all card games conducted on its premises at no additional charge to the players:
(1) Chips. Chips shall be of generally conventional size and design. Chips furnished by a licensee shall be so designed that they are readily identifiable as having been furnished by that particular licensee.
(2) Cards or Mah-jongg Tiles. Playing cards or mah-jongg tiles furnished shall be of generally conventional size and design. Playing cards or tiles that have been shaved, sanded, cut, carved, or otherwise marked in any manner which may make certain cards or tiles identifiable to players other than as allowed by the rules of the particular game are prohibited.
(3) Bank Services. The licensee shall sell its chips to all players desiring to buy them not in excess of any limits set by the Washington State Gambling Commission and redeem all chips at the value for which they were sold. The value at which the various types of chips are sold and redeemed shall be conspicuously posted and visible to each person prior to that person purchasing chips. Money taken in on chips sold shall be kept separate and apart from all other money received by the licensee. All chips sold on one business day shall be redeemed by the licensee prior to the end of that business day.
No licensee shall allow any cards or chips not furnished by the licensee on that business day to be used in any card game conducted on its premises. No licensee shall allow any other person to buy or sell chips for use in card games upon its premises nor provide any other item or service for use in connection with the game. (Ord. 163 § 10, 1975)
5.05.110 Wagers to be made with chips only.
All wagers made in connection with a card game shall be made with chips furnished by the licensed premises. No money, nor other thing of value, shall be used directly in the game itself. (Ord. 163 § 11, 1975)
5.05.120 Wagers by other than participants prohibited.
Only persons actually playing in the card game may wager upon the outcome of the game. Wagers by persons other than those playing which in any way involve the outcome of the game, or of any aspect of the game, are prohibited. Side bets among the participants are prohibited. (Ord. 163 § 12, 1975)
5.05.130 Person not to bring their own cards or chips.
No person shall bring onto a premises licensed to allow the playing of card games, nor introduce into any card game any playing card or cards, or any poker chip or chips, other than those obtained from the licensee on that business day. (Ord. 163 § 13, 1975)
5.05.140 Devices, mechanisms, giving advantage – Prohibited.
No device, apparatus, mechanism, or thing which may give a participant in a card game an advantage over any other participant in that game may be used by any person. (Ord. 163 § 14, 1975)
5.05.150 Owners and employers not to play cards on licensee’s premises.
No owner, partner, corporation officer, person with a substantial interest in, or employee of, the licensee, or member of their immediate family:
(1) Shall play, nor be allowed to play, in any card game on the premises of that licensee.
(2) Shall be a dealer or otherwise participate directly in a card game on the license premises. Dealers shall be from among the participants in the game only. (Ord. 163 § 15, 1975)
5.05.160 No person shall have someone play for him or assist another participant.
No person shall employ a representative to sit in on a card game on his behalf for any purpose, or to render assistance to any participant in the game in any manner, which gives that participant an advantage over other participants. No person shall act as such a representative. (Ord. 163 § 16, 1975)
5.05.170 Participants to compete on equal terms – Deal to rotate among players.
(1) Participants in card games shall compete on equal terms with all other participants in the game, and solely as a participant therein.
(2) The deal in any series of card games shall be passed from player to player, moving from right to left. No player who deals a game shall deal another game until each other player at the table has dealt a game in his turn.
(3) Licensees shall take all necessary measures to insure that card games played upon their premises are played in this manner. (Ord. 163 § 17, 1975)
5.05.180 Number of tables and players limited.
No licensee to allow card playing on his premises shall allow more than five separate games to be played and shall allow no more than eight players to participate in any such game, at any given time; provided, that the city marshal may permit a licensee to exceed these limits on specific occasions for good cause shown. Requests to exceed the limit shall be submitted to the city marshal in writing not less than 30 days preceding the date upon which the licensee wishes to exceed the limit. The request shall indicate the date(s) involved, the reasons why the request is made, and the number of games and players in the games, which the licensee desires to allow on that occasion. No request to exceed the number of games shall be considered unless approved by the Washington State Gambling Commission. (Ord. 163 § 18, 1975)
5.05.190 Intoxicated persons or persons under age of 21 shall not play cards or provide services to the game.
(1) No person who is visibly under the influence of liquor or any narcotic or other such substances shall be allowed to play, or continue to play, in any card game or to participate in providing any services for the game.
(2) No person who is under the age of 21 years shall be allowed to play in any card game or to participate in providing any services to the game.
(3) It shall be the responsibility of the licensee, and of those persons physically operating the card games, to determine that no unauthorized person is allowed to participate in any manner in the playing of, or providing services to, any card game. (Ord. 163 § 19, 1975)
5.05.200 Daily records – Card games.
In addition to any other requirements set forth in these rules, licensees to allow certain premises to be used by persons to play cards shall be required to prepare a detailed record covering each occasion and maintain the record for a period of three years. The following information shall be included at a minimum:
(1) The amount of the fee per hour or other time charged by the licensee for a person to play cards; and
(2) The gross amount received from such fees on that day; and
(3) The gross amount paid out as prizes in tournament play (bona fide charitable or nonprofit organization only); and
(4) The information shall be submitted to the finance officer of the city of Forks quarterly. (Ord. 163 § 20, 1975)
5.05.210 Licensee to prevent cheating in card games.
(1) A licensee to allow certain premises to be used to play cards shall not allow any player to play in such a manner as to cheat the persons with whom he is playing. The licensee shall take all necessary steps to prevent this and shall be responsible to insure that the games played upon the licensed premises are fairly played.
(2) Any incident wherein a person is found cheating shall be reported immediately to the applicable local police or sheriff’s office.
(3) The licensee shall assist in prosecution of any person found cheating. (Ord. 163 § 21, 1975)
5.05.220 Hours for card games.
There shall be no card playing between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., on Monday through Saturday, and between 2:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon on Sundays. (Ord. 163 § 22, 1975)
5.05.230 Violation – Penalty.
All violations of this chapter shall be punished by a fine not to exceed $500.00 and imprisonment not to exceed six month or both; and every day any violation of this chapter shall continue shall constitute a separate offense. (Ord. 163 § 23, 1975)