[HISTORY: Adopted by the Common Council of
the City of Norwich 8-23-1938 (Ch. 9 of the 1967 Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]
As used in this chapter, the following words
shall have the following respective meanings:
Any indoor place or enclosure in which is maintained or operated
for the amusement, patronage or recreation of the public, any coin-controlled
amusement device of any description, and particularly, but not by
way of limitation, the type commonly known as "bagatelle games," "baseball,"
"football" and "pinball amusement games," is hereby designated as
an amusement center and subject to all provisions of this chapter.
Any coin-controlled amusement device of any description,
and particularly, but not by way of limitation, the type known as
"bagatelle games," "baseball," "football" and "pinball amusement games."
Any person who owns, places, distributes or locates an amusement
center game in any place in which it is operated for the amusement
patronage or recreation of the public.
Any individual, firm, partnership, corporation, trust, trustee
or receiver.
No person shall maintain or operate in any amusement
center of the City of Norwich any amusement center game or device
in violation of the laws of the State of New York or this chapter.
No person shall maintain or operate an amusement
center without first having obtained a license to do so. A licensee
shall be of good moral character and shall maintain good order therein.
The City Chamberlain is hereby authorized to
issue a license for the maintenance and operation of amusement centers,
and said license may be revoked by the City Chamberlain on the order
of the Mayor and/or the Chief of Police for violation of any of the
provisions of this chapter.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original § 9-5, Location
of amusement centers, which immediately followed this section, was
repealed 4-21-2009 by Ord. No. 4-2009.
No cash award or awards of merchandise, credit
or anything of value shall be made in any contest, tournament, league
or individual play on any game maintained or operated in any amusement
center and no device shall be permitted to operate if said device
delivers to the player coins, slugs or tokens on certain scores, or
if said device may be readily converted to deliver to the player such
coins, slugs or tokens.
A.
License fee. The fee for the license of an amusement
center shall be as set by the Common Council, and the license shall
expire on the 31st day of December next succeeding the date of issuance
thereof.[1]
B.
Where the proprietor of an amusement center is also
the distributor, owner or operator, either in whole or in part, of
any or all of the amusement center games operated upon the premises,
he shall in addition comply with all the requirements and fees governing
an owner or operator.
Requirement of owners or operators. Every owner
or operator of an amusement center game shall be required to obtain
first a license, and the licensee shall be of good moral character.
The City Chamberlain is hereby authorized to
issue a license for owners or operators of amusement center games
upon payment of the license fee as provided herein, and said license
may be revoked by the City Chamberlain upon order of the Mayor and/or
Chief of Police for violation of any of the provisions of this chapter.
The license shall be countersigned by the Chief of Police.
The license fee for owners or operators of amusement
center games shall be as set by the Common Council.
A.
Application for the licenses herein provided shall
be made in the first instance through the City Chamberlain of the
City of Norwich who may require from the applicant information in
writing and verified upon blanks to be furnished by the City as to
the name and address of the applicant, name and address of the manufacturer
of the device, a detailed description of the mechanical features of
the device, its method of operation, name and address of the person
having responsible charge of the premises upon which the device is
supposed to be located for use and the location of said premises by
street and number, and such other information as the City Chamberlain
shall deem reasonable and necessary.
B.
The City Chamberlain shall have a reasonable time
in which to make inquiry or cause an investigation to be made in regard
to the character of the applicants and the availability of the proposed
device for a license hereunder prior to the issuing of any license.
Owners or operators so licensed shall be required
to purchase a tag or seal for each game in operation in any amusement
center and shall pay the fee as set by the Common Council for each
tag or seal purchased, and said tag or seal shall be affixed to the
game in a prominent place and shall bear a serial number and the owner's
or operator's name or license number for the current year.
Any owner or operator of an amusement center
game shall, within 24 hours of the placement of any such games in
the City of Norwich, notify the City Chamberlain of said placement
and shall give the serial number of the tag or seal attached to said
game, as well as the serial number and name of game and the name of
the holder of the license for the amusement center in which said game
is placed.
The tag or seal, as provided by § 145-11, may be removed from one game and affixed to another owned by the same licensed owner or operator, provided notice is filed with the City Chamberlain within 24 hours of such transfer, by giving the serial number of the tag or seal and the serial number and name of the game from which the tag has been removed, as well as the serial number of the game to which the tag or seal has been affixed.
Licenses for owners or operators of amusement
center games shall expire on the 31st day of December next succeeding
the date of issuance thereof, and all tags and seals issued as a part
of said license shall expire on the same date.
No license shall be issued under this chapter
to any person who has been convicted of a crime, or of any gambling
offense against the laws of the State of New York or of the City of
Norwich, and in the event of any such conviction subsequent to the
issuance of said license, said license shall be immediately revoked.
Any coin-controlled amusement device operated
in violation of the terms of this chapter may be seized and destroyed
in compliance with the terms and provisions of the statutes of the
State of New York, and any person who shall operate any coin-controlled
amusement device without first obtaining a license, as provided by
this chapter, or any person who shall violate any provision of this
chapter, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished, upon
conviction thereof, by a fine of not more than $1,000 or by imprisonment
for not more than one year, or both, in the discretion of the Court.
This chapter shall apply to and be effective
within the territorial limits of the City of Norwich, Chenango County,
New York, and shall become effective October 1, 1938.
