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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Since You Asked: Fishing with drones a no-go in Oregon ... Donald Trump brings his campaign to Eugene ... ScienceWorks' executive director gets new job in Pittsburgh ... Since You Asked: Fishing with drones a no-go in Oregon ... Donald Trump brings his campaign to Eugene ... ScienceWorks' executive director gets new job in Pittsburgh ... Grants Pass approves social gaming Comment By Kevin Widdison Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Kevin Widdison Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted May. 5, 2016 at 4:41 PM By Kevin Widdison Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted May. 5, 2016 at 4:41 PM » Social News "Social gaming" is coming to Grants Pass after being approved by City Council on a 5-2 vote Wednesday night. So-called social gaming involves games of chance in which there is no "house." Players compete against one another in card games or other forms of gambling, but the business that hosts the game does not receive any direct financial gain. Businesses would make their money by selling food and beverages to the players. Businesses that wish to offer this particular form of gambling will not be able to admit customers younger than 18. Consequently, they will be classified as "adult businesses," which greatly restricts where they can be located. Adult businesses may not be located within 1,000 feet of a school, park or library, according to Lora Glover, the city's director of parks and community development. Such businesses also cannot be located within 200 feet of a residential neighborhood. There are few places in the city where such businesses will be able to operate. A two-block area in downtown, between I and K streets, is eligible, as is an area of north Grants Pass between Morgan Lane and Midland Avenue, Glover told the Daily Courier following Wednesday's meeting. The part of town with the largest area eligible for social gaming is along Grants Pass Parkway between F Street and Agness Avenue. There is also a small area in south Grants Pass, around the intersection of Williams Highway and Union Avenue, that is eligible. A public hearing was held two weeks ago as part of the first reading of the ordinance. At Wednesday night's meeting for the second and final reading, there was no new public input and little discussion by the council. The ordinance was approved on a vote of 5-2, with Councilors Dan DeYoung and Dennis Roler casting the dissenting votes. Councilor Ken Hannum was absent. The proposal passed on first reading April 20, also on a 5-2 vote. At that meeting, the dissenting votes were cast by Roler and Hannum, with DeYoung absent. Under council rules, a second reading and final approval of an ordinance can take place at a single meeting only if the vote on the first reading is unanimous. The ordinance defines social gaming as "a game, other than a lottery, between players at a special event held in a private business or place of public accommodation where no house player, house bank or house odds exist and there is no house income from the operation of the social game." It also requires businesses to obtain a social gaming license from the city. Also Wednesday, Councilor Jim Goodwin surprised his colleagues at the end of the meeting by announcing his resignation, effective at the end of the June 1 council meeting. Goodwin, director of Josephine County Juvenile Justice Department, said his professional and personal time commitments have increased, and he believes he no longer has adequate time to devote to his council-related duties. All Grants Pass city councilors are volunteers who serve without pay. By Kevin Widdison Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Kevin Widdison Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted May. 5, 2016 at 4:41 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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