§ 5-2-10 - Licensing of billiard, bagatelle, pool, scippio tables and game rooms. - Rhode Island Statutes

SECTION 5-2-10

   § 5-2-10  Licensing of billiard, bagatelle,pool, scippio tables and game rooms. – (a) No person shall keep a billiard table, bagatelle table, pool table, scippiotable, or any table of a similar character, in any saloon, shop, or place ofbusiness within this state, or own or keep any billiard, bagatelle, pool, orscippio table, or any table of a similar character, for public use or profitwithin this state, or operate a pinball or game room without a license from thecity or town council of the city or town where the table is kept or used, firsthad and obtained. The city or town council may grant or refuse to grantlicenses for these tables, and the licenses granted continue for a term notexceeding one year.

   (b) The term "pinball or game room", as used in this section,means any public place, building or room where three (3) or more gamingdevices, machines or apparatuses are kept for the use and entertainment of thepublic; or any place where the purpose of the business is to maintain three (3)or more machines, which, upon the insertion of a coin, slug, token, plate ordisc, may be operated by the public generally for use as a game or amusementwhether or not registering a score and whether its operation demands skill orchange or both. The definition of game room is limited to those places thatderive their principal source of income from those machines. Each city or towncouncil may by ordinance prescribe any rules and regulations and may byordinance determine the number of licenses to be issued that they deemnecessary for the operation of pinball or game rooms; provided, that no gameroom located within one thousand (1,000) feet of any elementary and/orsecondary school in the city of Providence may open before four o'clock (4:00)p.m. on any school day.