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Florida House Passes Bill To Ban "Internet Cafes"
squiggleslash writes "Concerned about their use as fronts for gambling operations, the Florida legislature passed a law banning Internet cafes. The law appears to be a reaction in part to the recent stepping down of Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, embroiled in a scandal involving a company that operates Internet Cafes. More ordinary cafes with Wi-fi, where you supply your own computer (such as Starbucks), are not affected by the ban." The nomenclature here is confusing; the bill (PDF) (summary) is clearly aimed only at "cafes" that are essentially gambling venues; an Internet cafe wouldn't violate the proposed rule merely by providing computers. Whatever you think of prohibitions on gambling among consenting adults, the bill itself is sort of amusing for its very specific loopholes for bingo and "reverse vending machines."
Because government can't prohibit people from assembling peacefully - tthey can only control commerce.
Who has actually had an "internet cafe" in the past 10 years? Or do they consider Starbucks and free wifi an "internet cafe"?
Honestly, you can buy a useable used laptop for around $35.00 and then go to mc donalds for free internet. Are they going to ban McDonalds? That would be one thing that would do some actual good.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
So their logic is that because something could be 'abused' (laws against Internet gambling are idiotic as well), we should ban it entirely? I guess we should ban... everything in existence!
Wouldn't this basically make libraries illegal? Once again, Florida, paving the way for stupidity since 2000.
submitter is playing a bit fast and loose in the description here... the law is *centrally* concerned with gambling, and any operation not involved with gambling but that does provide computers for the public's use is completely untouched by this - not just places like Starbucks. Not sure why the outrage, really. If gambling is illegal in Florida, this closes existing loopholes that some gambling houses used to skirt the law. It doesn't affect non-gambling "internet cafes" as they are traditionally known.
It also is not related to Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll stepping down in the way suggested. The crackdown on internet cafes is the reason Carroll stepped down, not the other way around as implied....
If gambling is already illegal...why do they need another law? Perhaps they need to fix their gambling statute instead.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
That will depend on the exact wording of the bill and how the courts, lawyers, and police abuse it.
These places aren't about internet access at all, they are plain and simple gambling establishments.
If you want to legalize gambling, fine, do it. But, letting it happen this way just leads to sad little strip-mall locations where poor people gather to lose what little money they have in the name of "entertainment."
this, like most laws, clarifies and expands on an existing statute... so, essentially, they're doing exactly what you propose.
This is how they are trying to fix the gambling statutes... there's a "sweepstakes" loophole in most states' laws that these internet cafe' operations have used to end-run traditional gambling bans.
Obviously such a law is a poor notion and an endless string of law suits will follow and perhaps some criminal trials as well. In the end it will accomplish nothing other than a loss to the public purse. It is very much like abortion laws and laws against pornography. It just costs money and does nothing for anyone. We do have limited, legal gambling in Florida and you can bet those casinos want to stop internet gambling and you can bet that they are well connected with Florida law makers. Frankly it is an awful law and an awful waste of tax dollars.
Yeah, the summary in this is pretty awful. That is like saying, we are going to ban cars because people might use them for something other than driving. How about, let's ban Baseball Bats, because people use them for assault rather than baseball.
I thought the reason Carroll stepped down was because of her connection with Allied Veterans, the supposed charity for veterans that turned out to be a huge scam?
submitter is playing a bit fast and loose in the description here... the law is *centrally* concerned with gambling, and any operation not involved with gambling but that does provide computers for the public's use is completely untouched by this - not just places like Starbucks. Not sure why the outrage, really. If gambling is illegal in Florida, this closes existing loopholes that some gambling houses used to skirt the law. It doesn't affect non-gambling "internet cafes" as they are traditionally known.
Yes, and all that would make sense, only the fact of the matter is Florida is one of the largest proponents of gambling in the form of countless lottery and scratch-off games. They have their own state lottery (which after billions, has clearly benefited the Flori-duh edumucashun system), and let's not forget that "tiny" Hard Rock Hotel and Casino sitting in the middle of the state that is large enough to make any Las Vegas proprietor green with envy.
Hypocrisy at it's finest. This is about the "wrong" people profiting. This has nothing to do with eliminating gambling.
This is how they are trying to fix the gambling statutes... there's a "sweepstakes" loophole in most states' laws that these internet cafe' operations have used to end-run traditional gambling bans.
Yes, and all while damn near every other form of gambling is perfectly legal in the state...or did you somehow happen to miss the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino sitting in Tampa that makes the MGM look small...
Of course this is about the "wrong" people profiting.
It takes money, influence, clout and above all power to reach even the lowest levels of the American ruling class.
Winning a seat in government comes with the prize of being able to further your own interests as a member of the ruling class. This means exploiting the lower classes, or perhaps simply controlling them through your private security army known as the police.
Government is not your friend. The police are not your friend. You exist as a resource in order to be won between warring factions of the American ruling class.
We can't allow serfs and other outsiders to the royal court to setup a gambling establishment. That would pry some tiny morsel of power and control from the American ruling class and put it into the hands of outsiders.
Oh how you Americunts love to wield it.
Name one thing that was banned that made your lives better.........
Outrage sells just as much as sex - and since there's no nudity on Slashdot... outrage is the only demographic left to pander to. Seriously, you've never noticed the number of badly written summaries and stories published seemingly just to fan the flames and provide an opportunity for a Two Minute Hate?
What I don't get is why the USA is so uptight about "gambling"? If they were really serious about getting rid of big-time gambling operations, they really should ban the stock market and insurance.
No sig. Move along - nothing to see here.
These things have been around a long time. I remember when one first popped up about 8 years ago. My friends and I went to it and were amazed that they were legal. Instead of straight cash they paid out visa gift cards. Then about 4 years ago the zoning board approved one in my immediate area. Once they realized the name "arcade" was a cover for gambling, they immediately rescinded.
The reason this is news is because our lieutenant governor was involved with a company that managed to take it to a new low. They operated these things under the guise that it was some sort of organization helping veterans. I think that was the last straw. After the bust, this legislation was introduced and quickly passed. It was completely reactionary and I'm sure poorly written due to the quickness with which it passed.
As I said before, these things have been around for years. I must have at least a dozen near mean in the counties that allow it. Everyone knew they were shady, so no one can act like they are surprised by their existence.
If an officer ever threatens to taze you, say you have a pacemaker.
the issue is likely one of taxation.
My problem with internet cafes, particularly those where the computers are provided, using them is really just begging to have all your personal info recorded or hacked. God only knows what crap they have loaded on those things, and frankly I'd be shocked if someone isn't running a chain of these places solely with the intent of stealing identities/accounts.
Life needs more saving throws.
Wallstreet does not like competition.
That would be Indian territory.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seminole_Hard_Rock_Hotel_and_Casino_Tampa
Is that where, e.g. someone inserts a candy bar and $0.75 is dispensed?
'Your brain is God.' -- Dr. Timothy Leary
They had to make a lot of noise about it because the lieutenant governor and a trashy company got caught screwing veterans. This was for the "someone should do something about that" crowd.
If an officer ever threatens to taze you, say you have a pacemaker.
Crooked elections ...
Old people who cannot drive safely being allowed to drive despite the ...
danger they pose to others
Violent crime which frequently victimizes tourists from other countries ...
Sinkholes ...
And a pice of shit for governor.
Fuck Florida, I'd like to see the whole place sink beneath the ocean.
Lawmakers fail to understand "the Internet".
UPDATE! - Sensational title deliberately conflicts with reality, as explained in TFA.
Film at eleven.
Most of all, getting rid of internet cafes gets rid of a lot of anonymous user potential. Anything and everything for fascism in the US.
First time I was in one, I couldn't believe it was legal. But by careful observation of the operation, it was clear that they were exploiting loopholes, and the verbiage they use to do this is quite amusing. It's not gambling, they're "sweepstakes". You don't "cash out", you "redeem your sweepstakes prizes/winnings/internet minutes/whatever". It's not video poker, it's "video sweepstakes". Etc, etc. This is how these places work:
;)
They are typically located in strip mall type buildings, and will be called Internet Cafe, Business center, Sweepstakes etc. You walk in, and it's basically a large room with say 50 PCs running XP on a LAN, and there's a manned booth (or atm type device) where you can deposit $ into your account. Say we go to the counter and give the attendant $20 for our account number 123456. Got to a PC, log into it w/your account# 123456, and you have a screen showing various things you can do: Internet browsing, blah, blah, blah, and Sweepstakes. So you have "credits" (or "internet minutes") in your account now: the $20.00 we deposited is 2000 credits (or minutes or whatever euphemism).
The games are basically flash games w/casino themes: all types of slot machine types, keno, w/all kinds of goofy themes, running full screen on the PC, kiosk style. There's mini-games to keep you hooked (break up the monotony of click, spin, click, spin). The mini game will always give you $2.00 to say $50.00, and the player immediately has this credited to their account, and inevitably loses it shortly thereafter.
So they're basically slot machines where you gamble "credits" as I like to call them, but that would be illegal. So they call them sweepstakes machines where you play for "internet minutes" which can be "redeemed" (never cashed out!) for dollars.
NC has tried a couple times to ban these establishments, but they just switch out the games and call them something else, say play for phone card minutes, and they just keep going. It's just a matter of time before they get forced out by the state though. It's inevitable; we can't have those "educational" lotto dollars being spent elsewhere, now can we?
that is why laws are so confusing
If gambling is already illegal...why do they need another law? Perhaps they need to fix their gambling statute instead.
Reading fail.
So which is it?
1) I drop in a soda and get 75 cents back.
2) I walk past a machine carrying a soda, the machine spits 3 quarters in my face, gets mad since I don't give it the soda, cusses, then grabs me and shakes me until I topple over spilling the soda, then just sits there innocently until the next victim arrives.
Yes. Allied Veterans was running Internet Cafes and claiming the profits were going to veterans.
This is like killing a slug with a sledge hammer.
at least the cherry master are up front about being slots games and they stay on them for amusement only (it's the hidden knock off switches and under the table pay outs on them)
In some places like WI they are some what legal as well as coin pushers.
The Lt. Gov, gov employees and Vets. Admin. officials were caught red-handed, grand larceny, with loot they secured through a scheme which used internet cafes.
An what does the Florida gov do ?
Passes a legislative bill to ban internet cafes and lets the Lt. Gov and others Walk Away Clean.
This is Government at it's Worst.
The Governor and Legislators should be hunted as the Criminals they are and rendered to the Gallows of Justice.
It's the *tax-free* Internet gambling that they're forbidding, and not paying enough into the state's coffers (unlike the Florida State Lottery, which has incredible management overhead bribes^H^H^H costs.)
now those gambling operations will have to buy a $5 coffee machine
It's presumably for the type of machine that buys back cell phones.
http://www.ecoatm.com/
http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
If gambling is already illegal...why do they need another law? Perhaps they need to fix their gambling statute instead.
The same reason why gun laws prohibit felons from owning guns, etc...yet the need is seen to pass more laws. They don't need to fix the statute, they need to enforce the laws that are already on the books.
Hard Rock is owned by the Seminole Nation. That's Indian gambling. They bought the brand years ago.
Apparently few people here realize what these places actually are. You drive around any Florida town right now (I'm a Florida resident), and you see on nearly every corner, a "Internet Sweepstakes" or "Internet Cafe". These aren't the internet cafes of old that we remember where you can pay for an hour to surf the web. They are gambling estabilishments that exploit a loophole in gambling law. They only call themselves "internet cafes" to make it seem innocuous. These places have also become a turn-key, get-rich-quick scheme. That's why you see so many blighting the landscape. They're trash. Pure trash. And they're taking advantage of loopholes hoping no one will notice. I for one am glad for the proposed ban. Now if we can only ban check cashing and payday loan places, we'd be a hell of a lot better off.
The same reason why gun laws prohibit felons from owning guns, etc...yet the need is seen to pass more laws. They don't need to fix the statute, they need to enforce the laws that are already on the books.
No, it's not the same reason. This is to fix a loophole in the existing FL gambling laws that some businesses are using to run gambling establishments. A hypothetical equivalent version would be that while it's illegal to sell a gun to a felon, the law would allow a felon to buy a ticket in a raffle where the grand prize is a gun. The business then only sells one ticket in that particular raffle and the ticket costs the same price as the retail price of the gun.
'The tyrant will always find pretext for his tyranny.' - Aesop's Fables
The title is like "HEY EVERYONE READ ME THEY'RE BANNING INTERNET CAFES!" Then the summary is like "just kidding guys, we were just trying to sound dramatic so you'd pay attention to us. Please keep reading though!"
Really? I realize this is how news websites operate, but like when you're liking to an article go all out or not. If you're gonna lie lie in the summary too. I'd much prefer the truth, but if you're gonna tell the truth in the summary, tell it in the title.
Exactly, although the Allied Vets revenue was from running Internet Cafe Gambling Halls.
OMG, my past work is relevant!!!
I was the principal systems architect for a company that provided "internet cafes." The businesses offered a tangible or usable product--internet access--as well as a reward for the customers for the same amount that could be redeemed an application. These programs were essentially video slot machines that used your purchase of internet access as a way to fund the gambling. There are several stipulations that make these machines legal: first, they needed to be available without a purchase, so if you knew, you could get a 5$ equivalent per person per day; second, the payouts had to be predefined, that is the rewards were not based on any randomizing algorithm. The law is really intended to allow businesses to provide rewards to their customers for normal business and not as a basis for an entire business.
We ran an operation out of Boston that was similar, but instead of internet access, we built a really cool Asterix system that acted as a hub for international calling cards which were printed by the machines. The idea was fairly similar. 1.) Provide a product 2.) Offer a redeemable reward 3.) Profit
The laws aren't going to shut down internet cafes, the laws are being updated to close the loopholes that people were exploiting to bypass gambling statutes.
It is about shutting down small business. In one stroke of a pen the Republican-controlled legislature eliminated 10,000 jobs. The state runs a lottery which is so crooked it should be described as a tax on the stupid. There are dog tracks and horse track and casinos. But a small business is "evil gambling." If gambling is wrong, shut down the Florida Lottery. But don't run a gambling operation and tell me internet gambling is somehow worse than the crooked lottery you run.
There used to be nudity on Slashdot, even if it was only a text description of it.
Naked, petrified Natalie Portman with hot grits and all......
"City hall" in German is "Rathaus" Kinda explains a few things......
Reverse vending machine :-)
I have the mental image of a machine in which you insert a packet of Doritos and out comes 70 cents.
Oolite: Elite-like game. For Mac, Linux and Windows
...would be political suicide.
This story is just the begining..
Sunday, March 24th at exactly 3pm, every amusement arcade in the entire state of Florida will be protesting. In St. Lucie County, rallys are being held across US highway 1, stretching from Jensen Beach to Fort Pierce. Again, this is a state wide movement with every amusement arcade in the state. The issue isn't the entire bill. The amusement arcades do not support the internet arcades. The problem is that they are completely separate, and lawmakers do not understand this. They need to be educated on this fact. The amusement arcades want the law ammended, thats all, and the media needs to correctly report the issues and storyies.
Since gambling is against the law in Florida, then the State Government needs to BAN THE LOTTERY BECAUSE IT IS GAMBLING. Definition of Gambling is: gambled gambling Definition of GAMBLE intransitive verb 1 a : to play a game for money or property b : to bet on an uncertain outcome 2: to stake something on a contingency : take a chance transitive verb 1: to risk by gambling : wager Since people spend a dollar or whatever to gain the winnings of a Lottery, it is considered GAMBLING. To allow the Lottery is to Allow GAMBLING. If the Lottery is Legal, then so is GAMBLING. Stupid is as stupid does.
I live near Jacksonville, Fl and followed this on the local news. The "cafes" seem to be highly profitable. The state could just take over operation of them. More revenue for the state and people will gladly give it to them. They could sell lotto tickets for even more money.
If Florida is anything like Texas, Telecom money is sloshing behind the votes banning internet cafes. In Texas, the telecom lobby sponsors breakfast in the cafeteria of the legislature each day the legislature is in session. Texas telecom lobby personnel alone outnumber the personnel of the public utility commission by a factor of four to one and have many plusher offices and meeting rooms closer to the capital than the PUC. Add in the electric utility lobby and other lobbies and you can see why many bills written in Texas park public interest in the sewer. States laws are much easier to buy than federal ones.