The city or county may request that no further action be taken on any applications or licenses. The commission must grant the request and take no further action until April 1, 2000. Commission authority is clarified to allow the commission to halt action on applications if a request is received from a city or county legislative authority to do so. Communities are looking for a way to slow down the explosion of mini casino card rooms. It has been a long standing state policy that local jurisdictions are not to be involved in gambling decisions, particularly licensing decisions.
Local jurisdictions have certain limited options when it comes to dealing with gambling activity.
They can ban the activity altogether, including presently operating businesses engaged in certain types of licensed gambling activity. They can tax the activity as high as 20 percent of gross revenues. It is unclear what ability a city or county has in applying zoning laws to restrict locations or to limit the number of facilities. What has come out of the debate over an increase in mini casinos is a lack of local awareness that these enhanced card rooms may begin operating in a local area at any time. Local communities, in trying to create different commercial and neighborhood environments, are without notice that a mini casino can sprout within the commercial district and within a neighborhood at any time.