© Provided by Tyler-Longview KTRE The City of Lufkin is looking to crackdown on illegal for cash game rooms in the city by passing new ordinance regulating the rooms.

LUFKIN, Texas (KTRE) – It was on Sept. 10 when the City of Lufkin shut down six different for-cash gambling sites, and today the city council voted unanimously to continue the city’s crackdown on the game rooms.

“Previously our city ordinance did not specifically address game rooms or their activity; they’ve become more prevalent in the last several years.” Jessica Pebsworth, Lufkin Communication Director said. “So many municipalities like ours have had to make modifications to our ordinances in order to address those issues.”

Pebsworth says game rooms have been on the rise in the last decade. Many of them opened this year.

“Several of them opened during the summer months and they were pretty quickly problematic,” Pebsworth said.

They brought in more crime, according to Pebsworth. Police responded to 132 calls at the game rooms since since the end of 2021.

“We received calls ranging from armed robbery to assaults and burglaries in the parking lot,” Pebsworth said.

Not all game rooms will be going away, with Pebsworth adding that any game rooms that aren’t breaking the law by playing for cash will still be allowed in the city.

“It will specifically address the for-cash establishments, because there is a difference between recreation versus for cash,” Pebsworth said.

But the ordinance will limit the areas legal game rooms can operate in and the city will regulate with special permits, according to Pebsworth.

“We have to make sure they’re regulating within the regulations of our ordinance and they’re meeting all of those requirements in order to operate,” Pebsworth said.

Previously Lufkin had no ordinance that defined or regulated game rooms.