Country Club settles, agrees to $500 fine

Details

Published on Wednesday, 30 May 2012 10:43

HARSHER GAMBLING PENALTY SUSPENDED FOR FIVE YEARS

Dale Denwalt
Daily Elk Citian

The Elk City Golf and Country Club has reached an agreement with a state agency after admitting alcohol and gambling violations.

The Country Club is ordered to pay a fine of $500 by June 12. That penalty stems from an investigation conducted by an agent with the Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission, in which he found a bottle of gin in a back room that had been brought in by a patron.

They have also been disciplined with a fine of $3,000 and a 30-day alcohol license suspension for allowing gambling on the premesis. That penalty has been suspended, however, and will only take effect if the Country Club allows gambling again within five years.

The commission seized $2,095 that was confiscated during the investigation.

The settlement comes after negotiations between the ABLE Commission and the Golf and Country Club resulted in an April 26 hearing. The club had 30 days to respond to the settlement offer.

According to an ABLE Commission report, a field agent made a surprise visit to the Elk City Golf and Country Club on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012. While he was there, he observed five football betting boards behind the bar, and witnessed an employee write on one of the boards and place money into a bag.

When approached by the agent, the club's manager presented three bank bags, with two paper-clipped bundles of cash that had individual names attached to them. The names were not released.

The club received the maximum penalty for allowing gambling, although it was suspended. The alcohol violation could have resulted in a 10-day suspension and/or a fine of $1,000.

The land the golf course sits on is owned by the City of Elk City, and the city provides funds to pay a greenskeeper and keep up maintenance.

The lease agreement between the city and the Elk City Golf and Country Club Association also allows the association to occasionally use the city's tax status to purchase maintenance-related funds.

There are sections of the lease dedicated to civil liability, but no contractual penalties for violating the law.