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Florida Law May Accidentally Ban Computers and Smartphones

Posted by Soulskill on from the language-should-not-be-wielded-like-a-blunt-instrument dept.

GrueMaster writes "Did Florida ban computers and smartphones? They tried banning Internet Cafes, but the wording in the law is overly broad. '... it's the wording that's problematic, as it defines a slot machine as "any machine or device or system or network of devices" that can be used in games of chance. Turns out the Internet is full of gambling sites, which is where the definition runs into some problems. Consuelo Zapata, owner of the Miami-Dade county Internet cafe Incredible Investments, LLC, is suing the state (PDF) to overturn the ban, saying that definition is too broad and could be applied to any number of electronic devices. "

11 of 238 comments (clear)

  1. Florida by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Florida is a stupid as Texas, and twice as swampy.

    1. Re:Florida by TENTH+SHOW+JAM · · Score: 3, Funny

      By my reading of the summary, it seems to me that a coin (which can be used in the noble game of Two up) would be considered a "Device that can be used in Games Of Chance."

      Not only have they banned computers. They seem to have banned currency. I wonder how they will pay the police to police this.

      --
      A sig is placed here
      To display how futile
      English Haiku is
  2. Computers are a passing fad by jfdavis668 · · Score: 5, Funny

    They will be forgotten in a few years...

    1. Re: Computers are a passing fad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Breaker, breaker, 192.168.1.1

  3. Fark by bmo · · Score: 5, Funny

    There are reasons why Florida has its own tag on Fark.

    This is one of them.

    --
    BMO

  4. Broadly defined... by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 3, Funny

    "any machine or device or system or network of devices" that can be used in games of chance.

    Anyone driven a car in Florida? Going to the grocery store is a game of chance down there. :-)

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  5. Re:florida's governor is a criminal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I don't think "criminal" was the profanity that he had in mind.

    Well what the fuck was the profanity he had in mind?!!!

  6. Re: florida's governor is a criminal by dgatwood · · Score: 1, Funny

    When it came time to compose an email, I was very happy to find an Internet café with computers having full size keyboards.

    And the eighteen people who now have your email password are very happy, too.

    --

    Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

  7. Re: florida's governor is a criminal by M.+Baranczak · · Score: 3, Funny

    I was very happy to find an Internet cafÃf© with computers having full size keyboards.

    Did you happen to notice if those establishments also supported Unicode?

  8. Re:florida's governor is a criminal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well what the fuck was the profanity he had in mind?!!!

    "Rick Scott"

  9. Re: florida's governor is a criminal by drkim · · Score: 3, Funny

    If they pass this they will have to eliminate voting machines in Florida, since the way they work their voting is a "game of chance."

    Could be good for the rest of the country...