Grand Forks City Council halts, at least momentarily, a plan to allow gambling at restaurants
A plan to allow Grand Forks businesses with a Class 4 liquor license to host games of chance was voted down by Grand Forks City Council members on Monday, but it could pop up again during a broader review of the city's alcohol policies later this month.
8:00 pm, Mar. 1, 2021
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Grand Forks City Hall. Sam Easter / Grand Forks Herald
At least for the moment, Grand Forks officials shot down a plan to allow restaurants with bar service to host games of chance.
City Council members on Monday voted 5-2 against a plan to allow businesses with a Class 4 liquor license – restaurants such as Rhombus Guys pizza parlor or Ely’s Ivy, where patrons can order alcohol – to set up designated areas for blackjack, pull tabs and so on. Mike McMenamy, whose bar, McMenamy’s Tavern, has a Class 1 license that allows it to hold gaming already, told council members that allowing more businesses to host games of chance would make it easier for minors to gamble and could mean other businesses – convenience stores, for instance – would ask for similar accommodations.