Poker bill hurdles House

After months of postponements, the House of Representatives passed on Thursday a bill that allows poker shops only on Beach Road and Middle Road, extending to As Terlaje and As Lito roads.

House Bill 14-267 aims to ban poker operations in inner villages such as Koblerville, Dandan, San Vicente, and Kagman, and other villages up north like Tanapag and San Roque.

“There would be nothing in the villages. No[thing in] Chalan Kanoa, Koblerville. Nothing inside the villages. It’s limited to the main roads,” said bill author Rep. Clyde K. Norita.

Norita, in an interview yesterday said that, the amendments made to the bill includes changing signages from “poker” to “game room.”

“The signage won’t say poker. It’s just game room,” he said.

The amended bill also provides that no amusement machine shall be operated within 250 feet from the closest boundary of any public or private school, childcare center, nurseries, and churches.

It also prohibits operations of these machines adjacent to or within the same facility or complex and under the same roof where commercial Laundromats or grocery stores are located.

Earlier, Rep. David Apatang had moved to amend the bill to reduce it from 250 feet to the existing policy of 100 feet, but this motion was defeated.

Norita said, though, that House members voted on Rep. Jesus Attao’s proposal to allow existing poker shops that would violate the 250 feet guideline to continue operating until they close shop.

“Those existing operators can’t sell or transfer their license. Say, if they go bankrupt or stop operations, that’s the end of the license,” he said.

Lawmakers said that there are at least two major poker shops that are located near schools.

Norita said the bill provides that all existing poker operators would be given 180 days to comply with the law once enacted. Meantime, he said that the amended bill took out the provision to raise the poker fee by $4,000 in view of an earlier passed bill authored by Rep. Arnold I. Palacios, which aims to raise the fee by $4,000 for fuel surcharge payment.

The bill, he said, carries a provision now that 25 percent of the raised fee would go to National Honor Society and Junior Statesmen program.

Norita said H.B. 14-267 calls for upfront payment of poker license fee. Currently, poker fees are paid on an installment or quarterly basis.