An allegedly illegal internet sweepstakes café was busted in Ohio in the last week, leading to 11 arrests being made.
There are a variety of charges being brought against the people who are said to have been running the illegal casino type operation, including money laundering, engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and a few others. A server in New Jersey is believed to have been a key part of the gambling operation.
Mike DeWine is the Ohio Attorney General and he said that this goes to prove this if you think that calling your Ohio “gambling house…a sweepstakes” is a good idea then “you are sorely mistaken. Internet sweepstakes cafes aren’t yet illegal in the state, with a motion in Senate failing in 2012. A new proposal to do this is expected to be debated soon by the Senate committee.
Neighbouring States Going Ahead
Meanwhile, a New York State Senator has said that the moves to legalise internet betting in the nearby states of Delaware and New Jersey could cause an illegal gambling problem in New York State.
Tim Kennedy is the Senator in question, and he put out a statement in which he said that his fear is that residents of the state he represents could use middle men who would use “virtual private networks” so that punters from New York could play online with their true locations being hidden. He also claimed that players are always likely to end up losing in internet casinos and that New York will need to find ways to protect its residents from what he called “these bad actors”.
