No Casinos doubles down against Internet cafes

Brent Batten: No Casinos doubles down against Internet cafes
By BRENT BATTEN

No Casinos really takes this no casinos business to heart.

After successfully lobbying for the defeat of a bill that would have brought giant resort casinos to Florida, the advocacy group No Casinos has set its sights much lower, now advocating for the prohibition of storefront slot machine palaces — sometimes called Internet cafes — that dot the urban landscape like so many mini marts.

"Even supporters of the destination casino legislation decried that fact that Internet cafés have popped up throughout Florida," said No Casinos President John Sowinski. "It is time to pass legislation to shut down these gambling houses that operate in a legal gray area and because they have never been sanctioned by the Legislature or the voters."

House Bill 3 would ban operations that get around laws against gambling by offering gift cards and coupons instead of cash payouts. It has a companion bill in the Senate that would regulate, rather than outright ban, the establishments. Sowinski says that's unfortunate.

"Regulating Internet cafés instead of shutting them down is bad public policy," he said. It would legitimize them and threaten the state's gambling compact with the Seminole Tribe, which pays the state about $200 million each year for the exclusive right to certain forms of gambling, he argues.

The storefront slot halls can be found around Collier County with names like Winners and Vegas Casinos South. Inside retirees while away the hours pressing buttons and watching dazzling light displays for as little as eights cents per spin.

Some counties have tried to ban them through local ordinances, but those efforts have been met by lawsuits from the industry. Hillsborough County passed an ordinance on Dec. 7 and within two weeks legal action was filed asking a judge to block enforcement of the ban.

Locally, an ordinance has not been considered by county lawmakers. Perhaps that's because the operations haven't been viewed as a problem.

"It's not been an issue," said County Attorney Jeff Klatzkow. "I know it has been in other counties but we haven't heard anything."

Klatzkow said to his knowledge, the only time the topic has come up was at a planning meeting about a year ago when a strip mall that housed one of the slot palaces was being discussed.

"The folks there (in the neighborhood) loved it," he said.

Considering the fact that Southwest Florida is home to a greyhound track that offers poker and a Seminole casino in Immoklaee, slot machines are part of the picture.

"We're a gambling community anyway. It's kind of a culture down here," Klatzkow said.

House Bill 3 was approved by the House Economic Affairs Committee Thursday but until the Senate settles on its approach, the House bill will probably have to wait for a floor vote.

Keeping with the No Casinos mantra, Sowinski urged senators to take the same approach as the House when it comes to storefront casinos.

"What they are offering looks, feels, and acts like slot machines — the most addictive form of gambling. They are not regulated like gambling and are not taxed like gambling. We think that as long as there are gray areas there are people who will exploit them, so the issue should be tackled head on," Sowinski said.