Dallas, TX Gambling & Gaming: Game Room Regulations (2026)

Chapter 6A of the Dallas City Code defines an amusement center as a business where at least 25 percent of the public floor area is devoted to coin-operated amusement devices and their public use, and it bars anyone from operating one without a license from the chief of police (Sec. 6A-1, 6A-2). Applicants must disclose the applicant's, operator's, and any corporate officer's felony convictions or convictions within the preceding five years for drug, gambling, prostitution, obscenity, or unlawful-weapon offenses, and must list the number of coin-operated devices in the center (Sec.

6A-4). The annual license fee is $25 per coin-operated amusement device, with a $2 fee to replace a lost or destroyed license; licenses expire one year from issuance and are not transferable, and a licensee must notify the chief of police within 10 days of any change in ownership, management, address, or trade name (Sec. 6A-5, 6A-6). The chief of police must refuse or revoke a license for a false statement on the application, a qualifying felony or gambling/drug/prostitution/obscenity/weapons conviction of the applicant, operator, or corporate officer, a prior license revocation within the preceding two years, employing an operator under 18, or running more devices than licensed (Sec.

6A-7, 6A-8). m. m. during the school term (Sec. 6A-10). A denied or revoked licensee can appeal first to the city manager within 10 days, then to the city council within a further 10 days, with the council's decision final (Sec. 6A-9).