,.,-. 

### 838

**OFFICE Of**  **THE Al-l-ORNEY**  GENERAL OF **TEXAS AUSTIN** 

kar SW:

ThLa will bo in refare W, 1941, rwusstlng the apini followlag~mtteri

the maohlnea. lz

I 

### Bh3r.tocm to ‘mtsldero

ub hooae is 80 wrunged **hey 6~**  **desire;** the wohines an tbst ctmngers wha play the Courre ir&bt alecr

play tbc abohintta the looker room to pay for th*Ir ggra4n fem.* yhlle the maehinsacre not deaorlbod, we proceed upon the osauai~tion Xhat theydo not dltier from thn oommon vm-iety 0r alot mohlne derlos or the Hyng-arf ” variety. 5i’e tsl~ere your onininn Is eminsntlyoorrect thnt ti2e omration and mo~intrnmoa ol’ auoh mschlnse by en incar-iomted. country club 18 illegal.Ronarnble A. J. **%rmub** Jr., Page 2

-JOT are rpeolfIoelly branded am gamblingUcrloer ln Artlale 619 of the Penal Code. Artiole 631 maker it unlawful for an7 prrr~n knavinglyto no&In In a place where they crc exhI~~te& Artlole 634 deol,ares that they are agelnrt ~~8110palioy en4 em e publio auleanos. Itoreover, slot meohlns8 hate been held to constltate l lotteries ’ such aa me prohIbIted by the Constitution and Penal Code of this stmte. Berry v. State 39 Tax. Cr. Re f)endergart v. State (Ct. Or. AQQ. 1899 7’ 240, 45 9.X. 571; 57 S.V. 850: HIghtOwer v. Stete, 124 tex. Cr. Rep. 24ij 61 S.Y. (2d) 618.

‘?heaetra

taot that there gambling6evloes are aelntelnd by en u aruorateasountryg&& dose not ohange the result. Artlole 4664 of Vernon’sAnaotetedCivil Statute8 dealare that,

ItAny * *
. oountry crlub l l + where persons rssort for the pwyors of gambling * + * is hsreby 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 ffor4eUno pmteotlon to a ooimtryolub operating an *open saloon* In violationof the Conrtitutlon and TOXWB Liquor ControlAot.

Thea. rules are preoiselyap+iaable here. It oen not b.0 gelnsaldthe9 OIW penal lava aMat g@&&g and asaJx!lm-. u gambling oecure is uaually of na oonsequence. For example;we iin& the Court In Soott 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.*

i ’

. Ve note that your brief’ cites our OplnlonHo. 0-2683, There wa held thet und,er a arlninal stat&e prahlbltingoertaln aotr by *any vb r80n, l a oarporstloncould not be rlned or Im- >rlaonsd,oItIng Judge Lynch fnt. 6001 & PublishingCo. 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

;

1

i ’ w HonorableA. J. Bryan, Jr., page 3

pointed out that InQIrlduals, offlcere and agents of the cor?oratIon,

adnnectedwith the illegalaot might be prorecuted. ~%nwot(r, thlr holdingwuld In no way restore lcgelIty to nor ~prevent the sun?ressIon of archinsavhlch are sm gamblingBevloeaand are exhibited for that nurpore. Many romedie exist for their supwension. : Under Artlola 637 of the Penal Code the may be destroyedby order of oourt. Robertsv. Ooscett v TCA 1938) 69 9.X. (2d) 507 and Koore v. Alame (TCA 1925) 91 S.W. (26) 447 bold that no one o~n~oeeeae prooertyrIghta In E slot msohlae;and in the latttr case it vas he14 that a sheriff hp.8 the right to sieve slot msohlnerwithout 8 warrant, 80 long aa he aote ur)on nrobableoauee and doea not commit trernasa In gaining entranceto the qremlrar. Rote, houever, that the reoeirt

onto of Cal'lison

I. State (TCA 1940) 146 6.W. (2U) 468, requiresthat they be exhlbltedfor the purpose of gaming. StateP. FnretrsLoan 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. GrlfllthAmusement Co. (Sup. 19361 100 9.X. (ea) 695, a8 examples,are all case, reoognlclngthe duty of the State to Instituteforfeiture proceedingaagelnst tboee eorpcrGIonr mI,eusing the corvorate franchiseby vlolatlngthe crlninal law.

Flnallyyou fire

referred to Mtlole 4067 of Vernon’s AnnotatedCivil Statuter, providing: .The hebltualuse, notual, threatenedor aooteselated of any prewises;place or building or qart thereof.for **any** of the follouln;i urea shall be enJolnedat the suit of tither t!w State or any cltlren thereof: "(1) **For** gaming or kcsplng or exhlbltlng gamer prohibitedby IN..*, Tn'Statev. Ftabl:

and i?owley

United (TCA, 1938) 116 S.W. (Ed) 917 **end** Robb and Rowley United, Inc. v. State (TCA 19%) 127 9.W. (2d) 221, the Court held that lotterieswe 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 lotteriesare a sneciesrfRonorableA. J. Bryan, Jr.. page 4

m ubioh the State la suthorlaedto rupprera by InJunotIon under Artlole 466T.n fortlo~ the State lsay muppresr **slot** aaoh**Ines,** mpa gamblingdtvloes. We eo held in OpinionHo. o-2052.

To rsiktr, lt la our opinion rnd you are advised that riot maahinerare gamblingdetlcee m ,p4. They may not legally **be** operatedand maintained by an Inaorporatedcountry olub. and the State ir autborl?edto suooram their maintenanaa.

JDSt Jr Very truly your0 ATTORKEXOlCWUL OP TEXAS

Aaslstant