The Odessa City Council and Ector County commissioners are both in the process of amending their game room ordinances, but Ector County’s top cops and the district attorney all say most game rooms are not any more of a law enforcement problem than many other businesses.
Council members and commissioners have expressed their dismay about the explosion of game rooms over the last couple of years, saying they bring an unwanted element into neighborhoods and take money from the poor and elderly. They’ve also suggested many of them are engaged in illegal gambling.
Records obtained from the city and the county through the Texas Public Information Act show there are currently 26 game rooms operating within city limits and 35 within unincorporated Ector County.
