[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Commissioners of the City of Margate City 7-22-1976 as Ch. 51 of the 1976 Code.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Curfew — See Ch. 117.
Mercantile licensing — See Ch. 183.
[1]
Editor's Note: Chapter 51 of the 1976 Code was originally derived from Ord. No. 378, adopted 3-12-1936, as amended.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
PERSON
Any individual, firm, member of a firm, partnership, member of a partnership, corporation or any officer, director or stockholder of said corporation.
[Amended 1-25-1988 by Ord. No. 1988-1; 4-13-1989 by Ord. No. 1989-6]
A. 
On and after the effective date of this chapter, all automatic amusement games of the type commonly known and designated as bagatelle, baseball or pinball amusement games, mechanic or electronic games such as video games, pinball games, etc., or similar machines or devices operated, maintained or used in any public or quasi-public place or in any building, store or other place where the public is invited or where the public may enter in, including particularly, but not limited by way of limitation, all coin-operated automatic amusement devices of the type commonly known as bagatelle games, baseball games or pinball amusement games, mechanical or electronic games such as video games, pinball games, etc., or similar machines or devices operated, maintained and used as aforesaid may be licensed by the Director of the Department of Revenue and Finance of the City of Margate City and shall not be placed, operated, maintained or used within the municipal limits of said City of Margate City without first having obtained a license for that purpose.
B. 
No license is required if the above-described equipment is located in buildings owned and operated by charitable, philanthropic, fraternal or religious nonprofit organizations holding a tax-exempt status under the Federal Internal Revenue Code, and further provided that the revenue generated from the equipment is used exclusively for the purposes of said nonprofit corporations.
If a license has been issued and the person to whom it has been issued shall thereafter be convicted of a violation of this chapter, said license and every other license held by the licensee under and by virtue of this chapter shall immediately be revoked by the Director of the Department of Revenue and Finance of the City of Margate City.
The licenses for the placing, operation, maintenance or use of such amusement devices or machines mentioned before shall be issued to and in the name of the proprietor of the premises and shall be issued for the calendar year commencing March 15 and expiring March 14 as 12:00 midnight.
The fee for the issuance of a license shall be as provided in Chapter 183, Mercantile Licensing, of this Code.
A. 
A separate application for each machine shall be filed on a form to be furnished by the Director of the Department of Revenue and Finance. The form shall show:
(1) 
The name of the applicant.
(2) 
The post office address.
(3) 
The number of machines that the applicant intends to operate.
(4) 
The manufacturer's serial number of each machine.
(5) 
Whether or not the person making the application has ever been convicted of a violation of this chapter.
(6) 
Such other information as the Director of the Department of Revenue and Finance of the City of Margate City shall deem necessary or proper.
B. 
The fee for the license shall be payable with the filing of the application, and if the application is rejected, the fee is to be returned to the applicant.
No device or machine as specified in this chapter shall be placed, operated, maintained or used until the license issued by the Director of the Department of Revenue and Finance of the City of Margate City shall be affixed thereto in a conspicuous place, so that the same shall be easily and quickly identified. Said license shall disclose on its face the manufacturer's serial number and the name and post office address of the licensee, shall disclose the amount of money required to license said machine or device and shall briefly state that the machine or device to which the same is affixed is licensed for operation by the City of Margate City.
Any person who shall knowingly permit a minor under the age of 16 years to play or operate any of the machines or devices licensed by this chapter shall be deemed to be guilty of a violation of this chapter and punishable therefor as herein provided.
Any person who shall use or permit to be used any of the machines or devices licensed hereunder for the purposes of gambling shall be deemed to be guilty of a violation of this chapter and punishable therefor as hereinafter provided.
No machine or device licensed under this chapter shall be used, placed, maintained or operated in any premises within 200 feet of any school.
[Amended 1-25-1988 by Ord. No. 1988-1]
This chapter is enacted for the purpose of regulation and control of automatic amusement games of the type commonly known and designated as bagatelle, baseball or pin amusement games, mechanical or electronic games, such as video games, pinball games, etc., or similar machines or devices.
[Amended 1-25-1988 by Ord. No. 1988-1]
In addition to any other penalty herein provided, any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof by the Judge of the Municipal Court, be punishable by imprisonment not exceeding 90 days or a fine not exceeding $1,000, or both.