LEE COUNTY, Fla. (WBBH) — If you want a sure bet in Lee County, odds are good you live somewhere near an adult arcade.

If you haven’t noticed, the arcades – often covered in colorful signage and bright lights – are now everywhere.

You are viewing: Why Are There So Many Arcades In Florida

But as the NBC2 Investigators have learned, that may not be the case for long.

ARCADE OFF CLEVELAND AVENUE NOW CLEARED OUT

When NBC2 visited an arcade off Cleveland Avenue in Fort Myers, we found a couple of workers taking down the sign above.

“We’ve taken down – this is probably the fourth arcade sign this month,” Sean Munroe told NBC2. “We put some of those ones up, and then it was just like a couple months later and they were saying, ‘Oh, we have to take them back down.’”

In this case, the business was once known as the Black Horse Arcade. The building manager told NBC2 the people running it cleared out after receiving a warning letter from the state.

“There is no law or statute that allows them to do what they’re doing,” attorney Kevin Jursinski told NBC2.

Jursinksi has worked in gaming for 30 years. He said a change in state law in 2013 cracked down on so-called ‘internet cafes’ and that arcades were caught up in it.

But over the decade since, they’ve reappeared – and then some.

“There is a big proliferation – all over the place,” Jursinski said. “The arcades have operated, and law enforcement, I don’t believe, feels any need to enforce it.”

But that’s now changing.

NEW COMMISSION FORMED TO CRACK DOWN ON ILLEGAL GAMING

Read more : Why Does Toothpaste Make Me Gag

In 2021, Governor DeSantis signed a new gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe.

As part of the move, the legislature created the Florida Gaming Control Commission.

“They definitely want to have the law enforcement mechanism so we could go after the bad actors,” Eric Carr, the spokesman for the commission, told NBC2.

In recent months, they’ve started to ramp up enforcement efforts. Carr said they’ve now sent letters to more than 50 arcades in Lee County alone, warning they may be operating illegally.

The main problem, Carr explained, is the type of machines that they have.

“They’re illegal gambling houses operating slot machines,” he said. “You can’t even own or operate a slot machine or be in possession of one unless you are permitted under the Gaming Control Commission. And so that would only be eight facilities – four in Broward County and four in Miami-Dade.”

Slot machines are also permitted at tribal casinos as well, but that’s it, Carr explained.

DESPITE WARNINGS, NOT ALL ARCADES ARE SHUTTING DOWN

The NBC2 Investigators discovered many arcades in Lee County are not closing up shop – despite warnings from the state. The Royal Arcade off Palm Beach Boulevard, which was once covered in colorful signage that included golden coins and red numbers, was warned by the state earlier this year.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Florida cracking down on illegal gambling at adult arcades

Months later, they’re still open, but the place looks a lot different. The sign that was once above the business is now gone, and blank white covers the windows. It’s now labeled ‘Win Zone.’

“The slots. I like the slots,” Timothy Hayes, a regular at the arcade, told NBC2.

Hayes doesn’t agree with the state’s crackdown. For him, the arcades are closer and more convenient than casinos.

“It’s right in my neighborhood. I can ride my bike, you know, I can get off work and come here,” Hayes said. “It’s really the only thing we’’ve got here now! Where can you go in Fort Myers and win some money?”

Read more : Why Was Moses Not Allowed Into The Promised Land

ARCADES BECOME TARGETS FOR CRIMINALS

It isn’t just the state targeting arcades of late. Criminals have been too – especially over the past couple of years. Since 2022, NBC2 has reported on break-ins, robberies and more at about a dozen arcades.

PREVIOUS STORY: Authorities believe string of arcade robberies are connected

In one case, investigators say a couple even tried impersonating gaming control officers to steal from arcades.

MORE COVERAGE: Duo arrested for robbing arcades and impersonating Florida Gaming Control Commission officials

Carr said that’s not the only reason to avoid the arcades.

“We’ve had reports that an individual won $10,000 and the establishment refused to pay them,” he explained. “And since this is an illegal establishment, they’re not regulated. We have no enforcement mechanism to make that business pay them.”

OWNERS OF ARCADES DON’T RESPOND TO NBC2

The NBC2 Investigators went to nearly a dozen arcades – all of which had some sort of slot machines – to hear their side of things. What’s their plan amid the state’s crackdown?

But we haven’t heard back from any of the arcade owners or managers.

The Gaming Control Commision has raided arcades in other parts of Florida, and Carr warned it could happen in Southwest Florida eventually, too.

Jursinski, however, wonders if there’s simply too many arcades now for law enforcement to truly crack down.

“I don’t see it ending unless there’s going to be a massive push to eradicate each and every arcade. But I think law enforcement has a lot more things to do than that,” he said. “Temporarily, there will be a pushback and a falloff on arcades, and ultimately it’ll start to come back.”

Still, Carr urges gamblers to play at regulated slot machines, adding that slot tax revenue goes to the state’s educational trust fund.

Source: https://t-tees.com
Category: WHY