The city has vowed to crack down on illegal gambling businesses across Houston.
Denver Harbor residents know what a nuisance they can be firsthand.
They awoke Wednesday to news of an aggravated robbery and shooting outside an alleged secret gaming business.
Police said three customers were robbed inside and a fourth was shot outside Azteca Nites, a game room that bills itself as a nightclub.
It may be just one of the estimated 800 illegal game rooms operating in Houston.
“When you have no signage out front and you have black windows, that’s probably the first sign,” Toni Lawrence said.
Other signs include cameras that record who comes and goes and double-locked doors.
So the Houston City Council is working on restrictions for gaming places some say do nothing but attract crime.
If passed, the ordinances would limit the hours of operation, establish distance requirements from churches and schools and remove window tints from the businesses.
But if gambling is illegal in the state of Texas, then why is the city trying to regulate it?
That’s where the confusion lies—the law in Texas is vague.
It states gambling businesses are legal if the pay out is a minimal prize – like a teddy bear—but not cash.
HPD suspects many places are in violation, but catching them is easier said than done.
“It takes a little bit of time, because our officers have to earn the trust of the people,” HPD Officer Gabriel Ortiz said.
Until then, it seems the games will go on in Houston.
Denver Harbor residents know what a nuisance they can be firsthand.
They awoke Wednesday to news of an aggravated robbery and shooting outside an alleged secret gaming business.
Police said three customers were robbed inside and a fourth was shot outside Azteca Nites, a game room that bills itself as a nightclub.
It may be just one of the estimated 800 illegal game rooms operating in Houston.
“When you have no signage out front and you have black windows, that’s probably the first sign,” Toni Lawrence said.
Other signs include cameras that record who comes and goes and double-locked doors.
So the Houston City Council is working on restrictions for gaming places some say do nothing but attract crime.
If passed, the ordinances would limit the hours of operation, establish distance requirements from churches and schools and remove window tints from the businesses.
But if gambling is illegal in the state of Texas, then why is the city trying to regulate it?
That’s where the confusion lies—the law in Texas is vague.
It states gambling businesses are legal if the pay out is a minimal prize – like a teddy bear—but not cash.
HPD suspects many places are in violation, but catching them is easier said than done.
“It takes a little bit of time, because our officers have to earn the trust of the people,” HPD Officer Gabriel Ortiz said.
Until then, it seems the games will go on in Houston.
Security cameras are now signs of suspicious activity inside a building?