GAME ROOM ★ TEXAS SKILL GAMES · FACTS · COMMUNITY

Holding ourselves to it

The Good Operator Standard

Every industry is judged by its worst actor until it defines its best ones. This is the standard responsible Texas game room operators already run by — published so the public, local officials, and lawmakers can hold every room to it.

The ten commitments

  1. Adults only, always. 21-and-up, IDs checked, no exceptions — every guest, every visit.
  2. Trained attendants on site. A responsible adult employee is present and in charge whenever the doors are open.
  3. Clean, bright, monitored. Well-lit inside and out, working security cameras, a room a neighbor would be comfortable walking into.
  4. Skill-based amusement only. Games whose outcomes the player’s skill genuinely influences — no chance-based machines dressed up as something else.
  5. Merchandise prizes, never cash. Tickets redeem at a separate terminal for noncash merchandise within the value limits Texas law sets. Cash payouts are illegal and end a room’s claim to legitimacy.
  6. Permitted and posted. Every required local permit current and on display; inspections welcomed, not dodged.
  7. Full cooperation with authorities. Law enforcement, fire marshals, and code officers get access and answers — the operator’s name and phone number are on file with the county, not hidden.
  8. Good-neighbor rules. Parking, noise, litter, and loitering managed so the businesses and homes nearby are glad the room is there.
  9. Responsible play. Clear pricing, no credit play, and staff who know how to respond when a guest’s fun stops looking like fun.
  10. Community give-back. Regular participation in local fundraisers, benefits, and causes — because the room is part of the town, not just in it.

Why publish a standard?

Because “trust us” isn’t an argument. A written standard does three things: it tells guests what to expect, it tells local officials what to measure, and it gives good operators a way to say — on the record — that illegal room across the county is not us.

It also gives lawmakers something practical to work with. Standards like these translate directly into statute and ordinance: age limits, staffing, lighting and camera requirements, permit conditions, prize rules. The industry isn’t asking to be left alone. It’s asking to be regulated clearly — and offering its own best practices as the starting draft.

Judge us by this standard. Then enforce it — on everyone, evenly.

For cities and counties: a model ordinance checklist based on this standard is in preparation and will be published here. Next: the brief for lawmakers →