The controversy over Internet cafes and gambling in Florida continued this week as a new round of arrests were made and cafes were raided across the state.The Florida Times-Union reports, agents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement took boxes of records and computers on Thursday from seven gaming centers in Jacksonville and searched 20 others throughout the state.
Despite last year’s high-profile take down of Allied Veterans of the World, a multimillion-dollar gambling ring that involved a well-known Jacksonville attorney and two police union officials, and the passing of a state law banning “electronic gambling machines,” there’s been a resurgence of Internet cafes.
The cafes offer Internet access to patrons, who can also play slot-machine style games for cash prizes.
Joining us on our regular Friday media roundtable to discuss this and other stories is our panel of local journalists:
- Dan Scanlan, Florida Times-Union reporter
- John Burr, Jacksonville Business Journal editor
- Jeff Billman, Folio Weekly editor
Additional topics include Murray Hill ice cream shop Dreamette's refusal to serve people with sagging pants, the latest in the Marissa Alexander case, and Sweet Pete's appearance on CNBC.
You can follow Melissa Ross on Twitter @MelissainJax.
