He didn't crow about it, but Gov. Rick Scott nevertheless signed HB 155, legislation Wednesday that bans Internet cafes and effectively shuts down senior arcades and maquinitas in Florida.
The governor's remarks were brief, issued in a statement. The Legislature did the right thing to crack down on illegal gaming operators," he said. He later answered reporters' questions about it in a brief press conference (see the video below).
The Legislature rushed to close the cafes down after a multi-state investigation into a group that operated Internet cafes under the name and charitable status of Allied Veterans, was found to give only about 2 percent of its profits to veterans. It resulted in the resignation of Lieutenant Gov. Jennifer Carroll, who was paid as a consultant for the group while she served in the Legislature.
Bu in the course of formulating the ban, the Legislature succumbed to pressure from the lobbyists for pari-mutuels and included senior arcades and maquinitas, on the lawmakers' hit list.
Most senior arcade operators claim they will try to stay open and sort out the positives from the new law, if there are any from their point of view. The new law, effective immediately,also bans arcades from giving out gift cards as prizes or from letting arcade patrons use cash or a card to operate machines.They are not allowed to win anything past 75 cents.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
