Internet Cafe "Sweepstakes" Coming To a City Near You... Check This Out.

[X-Raided]

So.... My wife and I are getting ice cream at around 10pm and we happen
to drive-by a shopping plaza about 2 miles away from where we live
and notice a new place that popped up called "Blake's Internet Cafe & Sweepstakes".

We noticed through the window a bunch of people on numerous computers
sitting next to each other looking busy... Perplexed, I researched it and this is what
I find...

Link Removed ( Old/Invalid)

Another search reveals that there are currently 10 of these "cafes" within a 25 mile radius of me.

Would you guys try this out? I'm not sure if I would.

 

[Chron]

I would

In my opinion there is nothing wrong with a sweepstake coffee shop. After all there are casinos right next to children’s playground or other amusement centres (at least here in the UK). Sounds like a good idea to me but I would apply the same rules as playing online in general and ‘wait’ until a specific name of a cyber-coffee-shop has established itself.
I see it as a good option to have a play when travelling or waiting for a friend to turn up-or just to do it as a social event (which people already do when visiting casinos). Looking back into the past I can remember people playing slots early in the morning in a normal regular coffee shop (in a different country than the UK); and the argument that it would encourage gambling-addictives doesn’t ‘really’ count. Being addicted to gambling is a psychological problem and nothing else. If you look around there are thousands of people with other psychological problems and who are addicted to shopping or shoplifting (just to name a few) or ‘wasting’ money otherwise...A person who is addicted to gambling will always find a way to satisfy his or her needs. And after all- help is offered everywhere...

I think it’s a great idea when passing through. But if someone uses a shop like this to satisfy his addiction--well that’s an individual problem. We can’t force people to get help if they don’t want help. And trying to close down shops like this or being against it would be the same as to say ‘close Walmart down’ and all the other high street shops as it will encourage shopping addiction and shoplift-addicts...

I know I’ve gone a bit away from the point of your q, sorry-lol.

Yes, I certainly would try it out at a future point if the opportunity arises and if the shop has earned a reputation to be safe...
Karen

 

[pevangel]

I play at these all the time, just last week a woman won 11,000 dollars, also another woman at another sweepstakes cafe won 5,000 dollars. You can really win a lot of cash,it is like slots, it is really enjoyable for a little bit of money, where I go buy $10 get $5 free. they have 5 reel, 3 reel and keno. Some of the proceeds is donated to various causes such as children's cancer hospital etc. I like them

pevangel

 

[P.V.]

Internet cafes are another way for small time gambling operators, dreamers as I see them to figure out a way to beat US gambling laws. Kind of like operators of poker machines, fruit machines, quarter sliders etc..

They all get shut down eventually either by state, local government. Didn't NC recently pass a law to stop internet cafes, thought I heard this?

States have a serious hard on for these type operations and their life span are limited.

I think FL. has a few of these operating too.

I would give the internet cafes a rating equal to CM's non-accredited casino's.

 

[Mousey]

Internet cafes are another way for small time gambling operators, dreamers as I see them to figure out a way to beat US gambling laws. Kind of like operators of poker machines, fruit machines, quarter sliders etc..

They all get shut down eventually either by state, local government. Didn't NC recently pass a law to stop internet cafes, thought I heard this?

States have a serious hard on for these type operations and their life span are limited.

I think FL. has a few of these operating too.

I would give the internet cafes a rating equal to CM's non-accredited casino's.

Same here. If they are unregulated, they can fiddle with the machines/software as they like.

 

[Westland Bowl]

These 'sweepstakes' cafes were popping up all over the place and then the Commonwealth Attorney of my city gets a itchy ass about them and shuts them all down, deeming them illegal. But the state law isn't very clear about them but they are just going to claim 'moral high ground' in regards to it. The business' equipment claims a lot of space in the Police Department's basement as 'evidence'.

 

[X-Raided]

These 'sweepstakes' cafes were popping up all over the place and then the Commonwealth Attorney of my city gets a itchy ass about them and shuts them all down, deeming them illegal. But the state law isn't very clear about them but they are just going to claim 'moral high ground' in regards to it. The business' equipment claims a lot of space in the Police Department's basement as 'evidence'.

Please bear in mind folks that the loop hole of the law, as they,
(the sweepstakes cafes) claim is that their games are not like slot
machines at all. They said that their games are not by chance like a slot
machine, but by a predetermined chosen winner/winners. The player is randomly chosen
to win before they even sit down at the computer to play, thus the name used "sweepstakes".

 

[anniemac]

Yep, Westland Bowl, they tried one or two here in my neck of the woods in Texas. The DA in each county comes up for election, they are history. Same as 8 liners. Makes a good political showing for them.

I have played at each one, I wasn't impressed.

 

[P.V.]

Please bear in mind folks that the loop hole of the law, as they,
(the sweepstakes cafes) claim is that their games are not like slot
machines at all. They said that their games are not by chance like a slot
machine, but by a predetermined chosen winner/winners.

Just another way to try & slide by the law. The predetermined chosen winner stuff is kind of creepy don't you think?

 

[cheetahwind]

Well I'm going to take a crack that the predetermined winner would either be chosen by the computer or some 3rd party auditor of sorts. Because if it's chosen by the actual cafe that's where I would call fraud. Just because of the simple fact then they could tell friends to be waiting on the side for the major payout.

 

[lots0]

From what I see, the "Sweepstakes Cafes" are on about the same ground legally as the Parimutuel Wagering that goes on at Horse Tracks all over the Country.

So I believe that if Paramutial Wagering is legal in your state for horse racing, the Government will have problems shutting these Sweepstakes Cafes down on a legal basis.

 

[anniemac]

In Texas, 8 liners and such are classified as 'illegal gambling' whereas horse racing is quite legal. The powers that be here would rather you took your money to La., Ark., or N. Mex. rather than have slot machines in Texas.

Don't know the reasoning behind it but if you have 8liners in your business you are at the mercy of the current DA and Sheriff. Personally, I wouldn't waste my time. Too boring for me and I never figured out how an 8liner paid out and I only got tokens anyway. The place I went that had all the slot machines (old crappy ones) had you buy a card with money on it and then you played and money was put back on the card. Then you could trade it out for something but he never would tell me what. I figured he thought I was the law or something. LOL!

 

[pevangel]

Internet cafes are another way for small time gambling operators, dreamers as I see them to figure out a way to beat US gambling laws. Kind of like operators of poker machines, fruit machines, quarter sliders etc..

They all get shut down eventually either by state, local government. Didn't NC recently pass a law to stop internet cafes, thought I heard this?

States have a serious hard on for these type operations and their life span are limited.

I think FL. has a few of these operating too.

I would give the internet cafes a rating equal to CM's non-accredited casino's.

In Florida here they have been around about 3 or 4 years now and more popping up as we speak, I do not see them going anywhere soon, as of yet.

pevangel