La Feria to toughen laws on 8-liners

LA FERIA - As more game rooms try to open here, city leaders plan to toughen laws on eight-liner arcades, officials said Thursday.

Now, only one game room, Valley Entertainment, operates in town.

"We've had requests for others," Mayor Steve Brewer said.

City commissioners will meet July 8 to consider tougher laws, officials said.

"We're looking at what we can do to strengthen it," Brewer said. "You want to make sure you know what businesses come to the community and what their benefits are. If they don't have benefits, why should you have it?"

Officials will consider boosting application fees, Assistant City Manager Darla Jones said. Now, the city charges applicants $150, she said.

Officials will also consider whether to require applicants to disclose the names of property owners and game machine owners, Jones said. Now, the city limits disclosure to applicants' names, she said.

Officials will also consider requiring that public hearings be held for game room license renewals, she said. Now, the city limits public hearings to applications, she said.

Brewer said he wanted to make sure game room operators follow the law.

"You've got to be careful they're not used for money laundering for drug cartels," he said.

Last June, commissioners denied a permit to an applicant who wanted to open a game room in the 700 block of Business 83.

At the hearing, Police Chief Don Garcia told commissioners that residents wanted to drive eight-liners out of town.

Early last year, the Cameron County District Attorney's Office raided Paradise Cove, an eight-liner that had re-opened after police here shut it down.

Three years ago, authorities raided Big Daddy's arcade, seizing $6,000 in cash and 40 eight-liner machines.