Fort Worth game rooms are being inspected, with more than 35 employees arrested
Game room employee Abdul Wafayee had a bad weekend in Fort Worth.
Wafayee was arrested Friday on a charge of operating a game room without a permit at Holiday Market No. 3 on Mansfield Highway.
The 60-year-old Fort Worth man also was given verbal warnings for operating in violation of fire and life safety regulations, having covered windows, an hours-of-operation violation, no game room permit displayed and record-keeping violations, according to police records.
Wafayee wasn’t alone.
At least 24 other game room employees throughout Fort Worth were arrested on an assortment of violations during a weekend Fort Worth police and vice officer operation that targeted game rooms.
Fort Worth police estimated there are more than 200 known game rooms in the city. Police estimated that there are between 300 and 350 when accounting for game rooms the city isn’t aware of.
Last Wednesday, at least 10 other game room employees were taken into custody during another round of inspections.
“The game room inspections conducted last week were simply FWPD vice enforcing the Tarrant County game room regulations that went into effect on April 1,” said Fort Worth police spokesman Jimmy Pollozani in an email. “Last week’s inspections will be typical enforcement of the new regulations.”
Over the weekend, vice officers began their visits Friday evening and continued into late Saturday throughout the city.
Wafayee could not be reached Wednesday for comment.
A police narrative on Wafayee’s arrest obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Tuesday gave this account of his arrest:
Under the statute and the county regulations, a game room is a place that contains six or more statutorily-defined gaming machines.
There were 25 machines at Holiday Market No. 3. and the inspection was recorded.
On Friday night, Wafayee kept the game room door locked, opening it when a customer arrived or when a patron left.
Fort Worth Cpl. J Miller knocked on the door, but no one answered even though the officer could see movement through the door.
After about 10 minutes, Wafayee unlocked the door and officers entered. Police found all the machines unplugged. Six customers were inside.
The customers told Fort Worth police they were playing on the machines when Wafayee came in and unplugged them, according to the report.
Fort Worth police told the customers the machines were going to be reset and there would be no way to tell how much money they were owed.
The customers voiced their disappointment and asked if they could leave.
Officers asked Wafayee for the game room permit, and he stated that he didn’t have one.
Wafayee was arrested and the game room was closed down for the night.
The other game room employees arrested in the weekend inspections throughout the city were for covered windows and doors, or games rooms without signs.
Tarrant County commissioners unanimously adopted an ordinance in November 2019 that requires permits for game room owners and sets rules regarding hours and locations. The regulations went into effect April 1. Among the requirements for game rooms:
▪ A permit to operate.
▪ Hours are limited to 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
▪ Game rooms cannot be within 1,500 feet of a school, church or residential neighborhood, or within 2,000 feet of another game room.
▪ An outside sign that reads “game room” must be displayed and at least two windows must provide “a clear and unobstructed view of all machines.”
Those arrested face fines and misdemeanor charges, according to the regulations.
