It shall hereafter be unlawful for any person, firm, association
or corporation to place or maintain, or permit to be placed, operated,
used or maintained, in any public or quasi-public place or in any
building, store or other place into which the public is invited or
may enter, including premises used as a clubhouse or clubrooms, within
the corporate limits of the Borough of Merchantville, any coin-controlled
amusement device without first having obtained a license for each
such machine or device.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
COIN-CONTROLLED AMUSEMENT DEVICE
A machine which, upon the insertion of a coin or slug, operates
or may be operated for use as a game, contest or amusement of any
description, and shall include pinball machines and other coin-controlled
devices in which marbles, balls or pellets are projected or propelled
by a spring or plunger or any other means, whereby such marbles, balls
or pellets fall into slots, tracks, grooves or other position or strike
pins or other objects, which machine may be used as an amusement or
a game of skill.
[Amended 11-10-1980 by Ord. No. 562]
The license for the placing, operation, maintenance or use of
any such device shall be issued by the Borough Clerk to, and in the
name of, the owner thereof. All licenses issued hereunder shall expire
on December 31 of each year. The license fee shall be $50 for such
machine or device, which fee is imposed for the purpose of defraying
the cost and the administration of this article.
Applications for licenses hereunder shall be made in writing
to the Borough Clerk and shall contain the following information:
the name, residence and place of business of the applicant and the
address or addresses where each such machine is to be used or operated.
If the applicant is a corporation, the names and addresses of the
officers of the corporation must be furnished.
No such machine or device shall be placed, operated, maintained
or used, or permitted to be placed, operated, maintained or used,
in the Borough of Merchantville until the license required hereby
shall be affixed thereto in a conspicuous place so that the same may
be easily identified. Any such device or machine which shall not have
a license as required herein affixed thereto shall be deemed to be
an unlicensed device or machine. Any person having supervision or
control over any building, store or other place where the public may
enter or any clubhouse or clubroom wherein any such device or machine
without a license affixed thereto is operated, used or maintained
shall be deemed to have permitted such unlicensed device or machine
to be placed, operated, used and maintained therein in violation of
the provisions of this article.
Every license issued hereunder shall be numbered and shall disclose
on its face the name and address of the licensee to whom it is issued
and the address of the establishment wherein it shall be located.
The holder of a license issued hereunder shall be permitted
to transfer it from any machine to any other like machine operated
on the same premises for which the license is issued by removing the
license from such machine and affixing it to such other machine. Such
holder shall be permitted to transfer any license issued hereunder
from a machine in any establishment to a like machine in another establishment
by surrendering such license to the Borough Clerk and obtaining a
new license for such machine for the location to which the license
is transferred upon payment to the Borough Clerk of a transfer fee
of $1.00.
No person shall use or permit to be used any coin-controlled
amusement device licensed hereunder for the purpose of gambling.
This article shall take effect upon due passage and publication
according to law.
[Amended 7-12-1982 by Ord. No. 589]
It shall hereafter be unlawful for any child under the age of 18 to use or operate or aid, assist and abet in the operation of any pinball machine or any other coin-operated amusement machine or device, as defined by Article
I of this chapter, except where such child is accompanied by a parent or legal guardian; provided, however, that this provision shall not apply to amusement devices commonly known as "jukeboxes."
[Amended 7-12-1982 by Ord. No. 589]
It shall also be unlawful hereafter for any person, firm, association
or corporation upon whose premises, being a public or semipublic place,
any such amusement device (except jukeboxes) is placed or maintained,
to permit any child under the age of 18 to use or operate or aid,
assist or abet in the use of and operation of any pinball machine
or other such amusement device, except where such child is accompanied
by a parent or legal guardian.
This article shall take effect upon due passage and publication
according to law.