...Title
Amendment to Title 16 (Gaming Control) of the San José Municipal Code.
...Recommendations
Approve an ordinance amending Title 16 (Gaming Control) of the San José Municipal Code to:
(a) Revise the immediate reporting requirement to the Police Department related to the discovery of crimes at cardroom premises from immediately upon discovery to either immediately upon discovery or, when immediate reporting is not feasible, then promptly upon making a determination that conduct has occurred which raises a reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed, without compromising responsiveness to potential criminal conduct and revise the requirement to report to the Division of Gaming Control any conduct which raises a reasonable suspicion of a violation of Title 16 from four hours to no later than the next business day;
(b) Expand the allowable betting layout design from 10 to 20 betting squares per player-position per card table, requiring advance approval from the Division of Gaming Control and labeling of all betting opportunities on table layouts to align with modern gaming practices;
(c) Repeal Section 16.18.075 (Limitations on continuous presence at cardroom premises) as unnecessary given the minimal number of affected patrons and the disproportionate administrative effort required for enforcement;
(d) Remove the four-tournament-per-year limit and add an exception to the existing 25% charitable contribution requirement for cardrooms that make lump-sum charitable contributions under settlement agreements;
(e) Expressly permit the cardrooms to offer complimentary or discounted food and non-alcoholic beverages to patrons, provided such items are not conditioned on gambling participation and records are maintained, consistent with state law and responsible gaming principles; and
(f) Make other technical, non-substantive, or formatting changes.
CEQA: Not a Project, File No. PP17-008, General Procedure and Policy Making resulting in no changes to the physical environment. (Police)