Florida internet cafe
HOMOSASSA, Fla – Detectives with the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office served search warrants at two illegal gambling shops on Thursday.
The Sheriff’s Office had been investigating the Time Square Internet Sweepstakes Cafe and the Lucky U 777 in Homosassa for several weeks.
Attorney says there’s ‘considerably more’ cafes than in other Florida cities
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – More about why the Seminole Tribe of Florida has filed a lawsuit against numerous internet cafes in Jacksonville, asking a judge to issue an injunction shutting them.
The attorney who filed the complaint told the us on Thursday it’s because there are more internet cafes in Jacksonville than in any other city in the state.
“The reason we selected Duval (County) is there appears to be considerably more of them in Duval than other counties,” said attorney Barry Richard, who represents the Seminole Tribe.
Investigators have been following the spread of the popular, but often criticized, businesses in the city since the first internet cafe opened in the early 2000s.
The number of cafes operating in Jacksonville has since grown to nearly 200, and the suit raises questions about what could happen to them.
We have been around to most of the cafes listed in the lawsuit, most of which feature so-called fish games. With the new games, the prize dollars add up, and so can the losses. The tables can earn a hefty profit for the owners.
That’s one reason why the Seminole Tribe is suing, saying that it’s not an arcade, but it’s pure and simple gambling.
“These facilities are in direct violation of Florida law,” Richard told the us by phone. “They are also in violation of the contract.”
Under that agreement, the Seminole Tribe of Florida pays millions of dollars to the state in order to have the exclusive rights to casino-style gambling.
COURT DOCUMENT: Seminole Tribe lawsuit
The suit does not list all of the nearly 200 locations operating in Jacksonville, but those named are located all around Jacksonville. We went to many of them Thursday and was told no comment.
But at Funcade on Emerson Street, I was able to go inside and see how it operates. A supervisor said they have a legal permit. Customers weren’t happy about the suit.
“I don’t see nothing wrong with it myself,” customer Calvin Mobley said.
In the past, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has conducted high-profile raids of some cafes, which ended without prosecutions.
On Thursday, Sheriff Mike Williams told us that there is not much he can do right now.
“We are almost in limbo,” Williams said. “We need some type of legal direction about is it gambling or is it not.”
But the attorney for the Seminole Tribe said the sheriff is wrong.
“I don’t share his belief that the law is uncertain,” Richard said. “The law is very clear.”
Richard said this could eventually end up in court, but they’re hoping to resolve this without taking that step.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.– Internet cafes are seemingly a bull’s-eye for bad guys.
Local sources began looking into the reason why internet cafes are frequently held up after Wednesday’s chaotic crime spree that started Wednesday afternoon when, according to police, an armed man robbed the Lucky Charms Arcade, an internet cafe on Mayport Road.
Unclear if arcade was approved before or after moratorium
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A month after the Jacksonville City Council voted unanimously to place a moratorium on internet cafes, we learned a new sweepstakes center plans to open its doors on the Northside.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – They’re called adult arcades. Formerly known as internet cafés, these businesses are in storefronts in almost every neighborhood in Jacksonville.
Once banned by state law, the city of Jacksonville has issued permits for 94 of them. Hundreds more tried to open but never received permits.
Sheriff tells us that most in city are running legally
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Hundreds of internet cafés, also known as adult arcades, are operating in Jacksonville, and many remain open after having their permits revoked.
Over the past decade, we have reported on raids and arrests at the arcades. In most cases, the charges were dropped and the cafés remain open.
Several internet cafes in St. Augustine have closed up shop.
While the reason behind all of the closures isn’t clear, the St. Augustine Police Department recently sent letters accusing the businesses of violating the law by having “gaming devices which pay off in money or other things of value.” The letters gave the businesses 48 hours to cease any illegal gambling.
TAVARES, Fla. – Tavares police raided an internet gambling café Monday afternoon, seizing cash and computers.
Police served a warrant at “Dreamers” along South Duncan Drive in the Dora Canal Plaza off State Road 19.
Police said they’re tired of these businesses opening up in Tavares, since this is the second one that has been raided in the past few months.
MARION COUNTY, Fla. The Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team executed search warrants after an investigation revealed illegal activity going on inside of five different internet cafes in Marion County.
Meghan Shay who’s the spokesman for the force said, “UDEST is specifically targeting internet cafes that are engaging in illegal gambling activity, which means they have games of chance that they’re carrying out, not games of skills.”
