Arcade industry: be careful what you ask for

No longer with Lieutenant Governor Jennifer Carroll at his side, yesterday afternoon, Governor Rick Scott signed into law House Bill 155; the legislative response to a three-year federal and state investigation into illegal gambling at Internet cafes affiliated with St Augustine-based Allied Veterans of the World.

The law takes effect immediately, giving law enforcement new definitions of illegal gambling machines. It also imposes new restrictions on arcade games and bans all electronic casino look-alikes.

“With the stroke of the governor’s pen, thousands of jobs were lost today,” said Gale Fontaine, Florida Arcade Association president. “With all the effort that is put into this state to create jobs, it is unconscionable that the state is acting to put people in the unemployment line.”

Ironically, the Governor had just returned to the Capitol after making a “new jobs” announcement in Lakeland. “I have a jobs agenda,” Governor Scott told reporters.

Analysts estimate about 14,000 people could be put out of work because of the new law.

Adult and children arcade games got lumped into the Bill as it was hurried to the Governor’s desk. Although the proliferation of Internet cafes in the state continued for years unabated, arcade operators became collateral damage when the legislature moved at light-speed to pass a Bill intended to shut the strip-mall casinos down.

At the time of the arrests during last month’s “Operation Reveal the Deal”, and the immediate resignation of the Lieutenant Governor, there were an estimated 1,000 Internet cafes in Florida — but, add to that more than 200 adult arcades which are now allowed to operate games only if there are a minimum of 50 games in play.

“Expect complaints to police about machines operated at children’s arcades, skating rinks, movie theaters, restaurants and retailers that could fall under the ban because they are not operated by owners with at least 50 machines on site,” Fontaine told reporters. “Illegal games could be operating in retail stores and children’s entertainment centers, such as Denny’s, Golden Corral, Wal-Mart, Chuck E Cheese and Dave & Busters.”