PORT ARTHUR, Texas — A Port Arthur game room is temporarily closed for fire code violations.
According to the Port Arthur fire department's Facebook page, Shang Hai game room located at 3919 Gulfway Drive was issued a stop work order due to fire code violations.
The post says the marshals conducted inspections at several game sites Tuesday. Shang Hai won't be allowed to reopen until the violations are remedied, and "other violations will be reviewed and assessed for city ordinance compliance."
Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bartie says he supports the fire marshals doing what needs to be done when codes are being violated, whether it's at a game room, or any other city business.
"Any business that has citizens frequenting it and they are not in compliance with the fire code I think that they should be closed, or cited, and closed, and this happened to be a game room," Bartie said.
Bartie says the game rooms are a problem in Port Arthur. Bartie says whether you're a game room patron or a game room owner, city leaders expect people to be in compliance with the law, and if you're not it will catch up with you.
"Sooner or later it's going to happen, and it's probably going to be more sooner than later," Bartie said.
Bartie says lots of people in Port Arthur see the game rooms as an eye sore, but there's also a lot of people who are supporting them. He says if the city didn't have a large number of citizens supporting the game rooms, there wouldn't be so many.
"We have instances of persons going in probably gambling away grocery monies, and their utility payments and other payments, thinking that they're going to double them, you know they're going to get rich, so to speak, I mean it's something that's built on luck," Bartie said.
Mayor Bartie says some game rooms might be in compliance with city ordinances, but the ones that are causing problems are the ones exchanging money.
"I know it's a problem, I am awaiting a meeting with the district attorney where they are going to brief me on some changes that they are proposing to implement," he said.
Because laws are being broken, Bartie says a lot of crime goes unreported in game rooms. He says the proprietors know they aren't in compliance with the law, and the police are not called.
"Folks have lost personal possessions because they were in the game room and these bullies happened to come to the game room at the time taking their jewelry, all of their financial possessions."
Mayor Bartie thinks some changes to Texas legislature to legalize gambling in some areas, like Pleasure Island for example, might help keep the game rooms out of people's neighborhoods, and above board.
"This is what most of the citizens are against, they are not against legalized gambling they are against these game rooms being in their neighborhoods under the disguise that they are not paying out cash prizes," Bartie said.
Until then, Bartie says if the game room are breaking the law, it will eventually catch up to them.
"At some point it's going to be more than a fire code, but until we are able to put several other things into place, I would say that the Port Arthur fire department will do what's necessary," Bartie said.