Posted: Aug 17 10:22 PM
TAMPA – Hillsborough County moved one step closer to banning sweepstakes games at internet cafes.
On Wednesday, commissioners voted 7-0 to draft an ordinance that would ban the sweepstakes games. The ordinance would still have to go through a public hearing and commissioners would have to vote on it.
Commissioner Sandy Murman made the motion. She believes it should be illegal for patrons to purchase time on a computer, where they play sweepstakes games for prizes.
She considers it illegal gambling. On Wednesday, lawyers from the Hillsborough County Attorney’s Office and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office agreed with Murman’s legal assessment, but added the state law on the topic was too ambiguous, making it difficult to enforce.
They recommended the county make its own decision about what to do about the sweepstakes cafes.
After a long, heated debate — during which some commissioners suggested a task force to look into the matter — the commissioners ultimately backed Murman’s proposal.
The ordinance to be drafted would not ban internet cafes, just the use of sweepstakes-style games on the machines at the cafes.
