Kennel clubs bark at internet cafes

The Jacksonville Business Journal reports that a local company, Jacksonville Greyhound Racing Inc., has launched litigation against a string of Internet cafes in the region, accusing the operators of illegal gambling.
The plaintiff owns the Jacksonville Kennel Club, the Orange Park Kennel Club and The Poker Room at St. Johns Greyhound Park.
The suit names seven Allied Veterans of the World Internet Cafes, alleging that the computer games in the cafes fit the legal definition of a slot machine insofa as players can win credits that can be redeemed for cash.
Howard Korman, president and CEO of the company, claimed in a written statement: “Jacksonville Greyhound Racing strongly believes that Allied Veterans of the World is running establishments that are not only illegal, but damaging to our community as a whole. These so-called ‘internet cafes’ are exploiting the law and hiding behind the guise of being legitimate businesses in order to promote illegal gambling.”
Officials across the state are starting to take notice of the cafes, the Jacksonville Business Report notes. Police in Seminole County raided two of the cafes earlier this month, and last October Santa Rosa County police raided a similar business and seized 60 computers.
According to state records Allied Veterans is a nonprofit group based in Hendersonville, N.C.

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