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Marina card rooms get the OK to add more tables

Upping the ante, card rooms in Marina will be adding more gaming tables.

Aftervoters passed a card room tax in 2013, card roomswere worried the tax would put them out of business. So the council made an agreement to increase the number of tables in each room, and Wednesday night city leaders made good on that deal.

Since the5% card room tax passed, the two card rooms in the city have contributed over $100,000 in tax revenue to the city.

“When we grow to ten tables we anticipate having more gaming action, more revenue, more tax revenue coming into the city,” said Frank Calamia, owner of the Marina Club.

Calamia and his family have been running the Marina Club since the 1970s. But he said the business did take a hit when the tax was passed.

“I’ve got a few more part-time employees rather than full-time employees, so it has had some of an impact,” said Calamia.

But now that the city has theOK to add more tables, both card rooms in Marina will have the option to add three more tables. That’s a total of 10 for each establishment.

However, with both card rooms located on Carmel Avenue, traffic is heavy and parking is limited – a concern for some residents. During public comment at the council meeting, one man said, “When I pass at night they’re busy. There’s cars parked all over the place.”

But all those cars are people adding to the tax revenue. Marina police said the card rooms have never been a problem.

“Card rooms are part of our heritage. They are an asset of our community,” said Marina Police Commander Bob Nolan.

The tables will not be added overnight. The city still has to notify the state of the change to the ordinance. Then each business will have to apply separately for more tables.

A second reading of the ordinance will take place next month.

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