Two weeks ago the North Carolina Supreme Court finally — and rightly — ruled that so-called Internet parlors, or Internet cafes, are gambling establishments and therefore subject to state and local regulation.
That ruling effectively ends their existence in the state, since the General Assembly outlawed their operation several years ago. Since 2007 these establishments had continued operating while the industry fought in the court system under several dubious claims.
One such assertion is that the patrons weren’t really gambling when they forked their money over, but were simply buying Internet time — what they did with that Internet time was their business. This line of reasoning was, to be blunt, a load of crock. Internet time is what you pay $20 a month for to your local cable company or Internet service provider. People plunking down their money at these cafes were gambling, plain and simple.
The state supreme court, in its ruling, said what some lower courts didn’t seem to have the good sense to understand — identifying Internet sweepstakes as the “functional equivalent of gambling,” thus the state is well within its right to regulate or ban such operations.
Locally, one Internet cafe owner said it’s unfair for the state to outlaw his mode of business while allowing a state-sanctioned lottery, and we agree. The state lottery serves no good purpose and accomplishes nothing of importance. Its main function seems to be parting folks from their money, with a secondary function of creating and maintaining a few unneeded state jobs.
As the old saying goes, two wrongs don’t make a right. The lottery, unfortunately, appears here to say. Internet cafes, though, seem to be on their way out.
It’s about time.
The state can run the lottery, The Cherokee's can run their casino's. Both can promote this while at the same time our lawamakers go after the the working folks who are just trying to make living. Are we blind here or what??
If its so bad you would think that the lottery would go away first since it is ran by the state who so badly wants to do away with this type business. Its obvious by the way this type business has been growing that the people must like it or they would not be growning so well. Shouldn't the state work with the wishes of the people of the state rather than to use the legal system to rid out the competition from the lottery ?? This new ban is figured in an article in the vending times magazine to cost 15,000 jobs in NC right here near Christmas time. How would our lawmakers like to lose thier jobs ? Wouldn't this be kinda like a big name store getting a ban on small country stores or conveinience stores from selling food or whatever it may be that was competitive to them.
Wake up people, we're losing a little freedom more and more just one peice at a time. At the rate we're going here, there may soon be no more government of the people. just a dictatorship. Think about it, every year a new rule ,a new law ,a new fee or tax. and you really write up an article supporting this. Im pretty sure all the folks who are losing thier jobs, thier business,and their livelihoods, and also the landlords who are losing thier rental income from the sweepstakes business would agree.
WAKE UP.