Gambling-Focused Internet Cafes Now Illegal In Florida
retroworks writes "I ignored the warning posted here on Slashdot on March 23. Surely someone was setting up some April Fools day hoax. But the Governor has now signed the bill. Whose cold dead hands will they pry the computer mice out of?" Note: while this might not change your opinion of the Florida law or other things it might lead to, it is aimed specifically at the kind of "Internet cafe" where the "Internet" part is essentially just a portal to online gambling, rather than at conventional Internet cafes.
These are NOT internet cafes - they masquerade as such, but are really mini casinos. They are popularly known as "sweepstakes cafes" and often provide free food and drinks to encourage people to stay and gamble. This article (http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20120512/ARTICLE/120519835) does a pretty good job describing some of their features (e.g. one in Sarasota, FL gives out 50 kegs of free beer each month and offers $20,000 jackpots). You can think what you will about whether online (or offline) gambling is a good or bad thing, but this seems well within the purview of a state government to regulate or shut down, and they seem to have acted reasonably.
Douglas Whitaker
What kind of Mickey Mouse State would pass .... Oh wait!
"Internet Cafes", more specifically Internet Sweepstakes Cafes, in Florida have NOTHING to do with the internet.
These cafes were running PC based slot-machine type games. Internet cafes, where you can rent PC/internet time is still legal in Florida, but there are none because either everyone has their own or they go to the library for free.
This story should not be on Slashdot.
I'm not sure what "conventional Internet cafes" refers to. The idea of the "Internet cafe" as a place where people go to buy time on the Internet died shortly after it was born in the late 90's. You can still go to Starbucks, Panera, etc. and use the Internet there; this bill isn't aimed at that. This is not a big deal.
This story has a long history. Basically these places were operating with a variety of names (cafes, arcades, sweepstakes, probably others) for many years. They operated based on loopholes in Florida law and their sole purpose was for gambling. A very large one got shut down because they crossed the line from simply unethical to illegal. They were operating under the premise they were a veterans benefit organization and not actually giving veterans and significant amounts of money. The lieutenant governor was involved with the company somehow so the story exploded. Rick Scott is already wildly unpopular and the Florida Republican party is on the path to possibly losing 2014 so the hammer came down to make a point that the legislature can still get things done.
It's pretty telling that the company that was shut down was run mostly by lawyers. They operated along the cracks and loopholes of Florida laws. These places are usually in poor and retired neighborhoods so I'm not that sad to see them go away. Maybe if we can do something about the "WE BUY GOLD" and check cashing places we can start to clean up these communities.
If an officer ever threatens to taze you, say you have a pacemaker.
Here is the actual bill as signed as a PDF: http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0155/BillText/er/PDF Florida (and governing bodies in general) can easily pass bills with unintended consequences as pointed about by others' comments, so read the bill yourself to see what actually took place. The actual bill is called "CS/HB 155: Prohibition of Electronic Gambling Devices".
Douglas Whitaker
The pain clinics are still open for business though. Good to now they have the right priorities. Maybe some of those have wifi.
Yes. And one of the largest targeted group of cafes purported to raise funds in the cafes for veterans, but allegedly, little of it made it to vererans' organizations.
never knew united states of America has internet café. seen them in France, Germany, Italy and Hungary. thought every body in u.s.a. use their mobile phones to surf the internet while on holiday. learned something new today. didn't know gamaling was illegal in the states of Florida. guess it is legal in Nevada and Atlantic city, new jersey and on cruise ships. oh yea, remember that fbi or dept of justice closed some online gaming sites like a year ago.
My brokerage account will be blocked too?
Your pizza just the way you ought to have it.
We have this all around the coast here in South Carolina -- they even advertise on billboards. SC banned private gambling operations (such as poker machines) in 2000 while simultaneously starting the "South Carolina Education Lottery" to fill the void; many businesses went kapoot then, but recently this private surge of Internet Cafe gambling has come out, as technically gambling from a server located in another state is still a grey area. Charleston hasn't really done anything to impede the progress of places like this, but Myrtle Beach has actually had raids on these locations and arrested people for illegally gambling. As it stands, I am five miles from seven different "Internet Sweepstake" cafes.
cherry masters where / still in bars and in WI they are some what legal / not legal. They also have coin pushers that pay out coins as well.
One of the companies, in Florida anyway, that runs a chain of these (Gambling) Internet Cafes, was doing so supposedly to support American veterans. After a thorough audit of their business (which is partly responsible for this bill being drafted in the first place), it was found that out of the (10's of millions of) money the "organization" made that year, only 2% went to their charity, and a larger percentage going to political donations (which, apparently didn't help them much in the long run :> ).
What other things would it lead to? FL, like every other state excepting NV, asserts a government monopoly on gambling. (some states license out that monopoly geographically or otherwise, but that's not the same as being permissive.)
How is it at all surprising that they are cracking down on a scheme to circumvent this monopoly, and what will it ``lead to"?
"They were pure niggers." – Noam Chomsky
These 'cafes' are really only there for one reason: to separate your retired grandparents or parents from their retirement checks. You can get free wifi in pretty much any restaurant and free internet computers in any library; there's just no reason for internet cafes down here in Florida. That said, I'm sure the full casinos pushed through the bill.
no mod points, so instead of the +1 funny, +1 insightful, -1 sick,sad,world, I will award you with a BAZINGA! </blink>
A "massage parlor" could be a massage parlor, or a sex emporium. Vice industries co-opt legit descriptions in an attempt to soften their image. "Exotic dancing" instead of "erotic gyrating". "Gaming" instead of "gambling". "Alternative medicine" instead of "unproven medicine". "Internet cafe" instead of "networked gambling hall".
Most of you don't know what your are talking about. Our law makers are looking after their cronies, the poker rooms and the Indian tribes. This has nothing to do with
with ethics or decency, it is law makers choosing winners and losers. It is about the law makers pockets and self interest. If you have principles you will be against all kind of gambling and not selective.
That herald article was interesting, providing liquor, food, beer, whatever it takes to keep 'em sitting down in that chair. I was amazed how brazen they became, they were in almost every broken down strip mall, everywhere. Good riddance.
Pretty sure that was the "veterans benefit organization" he was referring to.
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