HonorableLeo Presnell opinionNO. o-2032 CountyAttorney Re: (1) Could the operatorof B Upshur County penny marblemachine,there Gil.mer,Texas being no pay off on said machine,it being apparently operatedfor amusementonly, be in any way chargedwith a violationof the Fend Code of the State of Texae? (2) Is there any way whereby the operationof tbia type De&z'%Lr! of r~achkremay be rnjokred?
Thir will robnowlrdp racaipt of your rrqwrt for our opinion ln an1w.r to the ~ollowiag qu01tion1 "Could thr operator of a pomy Prrblr ancbiae, vhore 'the m of chancr 11 l limimtod, thara bring no myoff on rrld nuchiao, and prawnably muchnmchinabeia# oprrrtrd for uuuwmnt purporrr only, be fa any way charged with a violation of the Penal Code of the state of Texa14" Your lettercontaineno furtherdelrcription of the "marble machine"than 18 dirclomed in the above quotationfrom your letter. ye note a rtatementin the final paragraphof your letterwhereinyou write:
"I am aleo doubtfulan to the operationof such machinebeing in violationof the law, other than euch machinemight be used for the placingof bete on the aide. Should there be any way whereby the operationof this machinemay be enjoined,I would appreciate euch informationand the means of procedure." (Emphaelsours)
The statutorypenal provieionerelatingto gaming.erefound in chapter6 of Title 11 of the Penal Code. We direct your especial attentionto Article619, which read6 ae follows:
"If any pereon shall directly,or ae agent or employeefor another,or throughany agent or agents,keep or exhibitfor the purposeof gaming,any policy game, any gaming table,bank, wheel or deviceof any name or descriptionwhatever,or any table,bank, wheel or devicefor the purposeof gamingwhich has no name, or any slot machine,any pigeon hole table, any jenny-lindtable, HonorableLeo Presnell,page 2 (o-2032)
or table of any kind whatsoever,regardlessof the name or whether named or not, he shallbe confinedin the penitentiarynot less than two nor more than four years regardlessof whetherany of the above mentionedgames,tables,banks,wheels, devicesor slot machinesare licensedby law or not. Any such table,bank, wheel, machineor device shallbe consideredas used for gaming,if money or anythingof value is bet thereon."
Article 620 of the Penal Code reeds as follows:
"It being intendedby the foregoingarticlesto includeevery speciesof gaming deviceknown by the name of table or bank, of every kind,whatever, this provisionshallbe construedto include any end all games which in common languageare said to be played, dealt,kept or exhibited."
In the notes to Article 619, Vernon'sAnnotatedPenal Code, it is said that the essentialelementsof 8 gamingtable or bank are as follows: It is a game, it has a keeper,dealer or exhibitor;it is based on the principleof the one againstthe many, the keeper,dealer or exhibitoragainstthe bettors,directlyor indirectly;end must be exhibited,that is, displayedfor the purposeof obtainingbettors. Steernesv. State, 21Tex. 692; Lyle v. State,30 Tex. Cr. R. 118, 16 S. W. 765; Averheartv. State, 30 Tex. Cr. Pi.651, 18 S. W. 416;,Bell v. State,32 Tex. Cr. R. 187, 22 S. W. 687; Shaw v. State, 35 Tex. Cr. R. 394, 33 S. W. 1078.
We quote from the cese of Steernesv. State, supre,es fol- lows:
"Any change,cover, disguise,or subterfugein any such in- gredients,or in relationto the structureupon which