Illegal Online Gambling Bust in Ohio

I haven't seen these internet cafes before, but where I live, convenience stores have the nudge machines. Usually there are as many as twelve machines set up in a backroom. They have 4 or 5 thousand dollar jackpots besides the other winning combinations that the store owner pays out in cash which is also illegal. Winners...

I haven't seen these internet cafes before, but where I live, convenience stores have the nudge machines. Usually there are as many as twelve machines set up in a backroom. They have 4 or 5 thousand dollar jackpots besides the other winning combinations that the store owner pays out in cash which is also illegal. Winners are suppose to be given store merchandise and lottery tickets. These days the police are cracking down on violators, shutting them down, confiscating their money and property and taking the machines away.

Nothing really stupid here, since it is A LOT OF MONEY involved in online gambling. They already trying to open their own online casinos, just to get % from losses and taxes also. Everything is just about money.

I don't understand...USA is full of land-based casinos but they don't legalize online gambling.In my opinion that is a little bit stupid...

Hi tweeksta, A closed network casino is for registered users. Which in the case of internet cafes means it is available to only players at that specific location and can not be accessed via internet outside of this network. An internal network casino is private software network limited to and shared with a group of players....

Hi tweeksta, A closed network casino is for registered users. Which in the case of internet cafes means it is available to only players at that specific location and can not be accessed via internet outside of this network. An internal network casino is private software network limited to and shared with a group of players. This would not apply to online casinos that is open to all players via the internet and is not private. When playing at internet cafes anyone (21 and over) can walk in, play and collect winnings without showing any form of identification. It is the same way at any land based casino. The only time identification is required at a land based casino is when a hand pay is required. This is an amount that is specified by the individual state in which winnings are taxed. Internet cafes get around hand payouts because the total amount allowed on a single win is set below taxable winnings. That is not to say a player at an internet cafe can't win over and above taxable money as long as it is accumulated wins. The key is as long as it is not a single win in the amount determined taxable by the state taxes are not required.

wot is a closed network casino?? wots a internal network casino software?? is it used to play at online casinos that dont accept USA ?? how would u be able to cash out winnings?

I live in Ohio as well as these places were on every corner UNTIL all the B&M casinos finally opened and in a matter of just a few months they were being shutdown by the hour. The state wants everyone to ONLY go to the B&M casinos so the state can get there cut of the taxes.

Well if they would loosen up the laws on online gambling they wouldnt have to deal with these sorts of problems, it's like anything else really, also it seems extremely hypocritical of the US since it has land based casinos all over the place

Agreed. Just another reason why the Government needs to make it legal and stop living in the dark ages.

Interesting comments above; I thought it rather suspicious as I read the news item that law enforcement swooped in and seized assets following a long investigation yet made no arrest.

I live in Ohio, and these "internet cafe's" are all over the place. Origianlly, we had thousands of mom and pop "skill game" shops. Legally, the machines are classified differently, because an action by the player is required to stop the reels of the machines. All was good for a couple of years, then the State stepped in....

I live in Ohio, and these "internet cafe's" are all over the place. Origianlly, we had thousands of mom and pop "skill game" shops. Legally, the machines are classified differently, because an action by the player is required to stop the reels of the machines. All was good for a couple of years, then the State stepped in. They were getting ready to open state run casinos and apparently wanted everyone spending their money at the soon to open casinos. Internet cafe's are the result of that. Legalized online gaming would take care of all of this!

jeeze,its still going on in some of these stores a freind still living there has just mesaged me,lol! you tell me there are no cops making an extra income there and probably just about everywhere.

"no one was arrested" the police were being payed off for them to stay in buissness until the higherups were informed reporters were on the story. more bigtime corruption that will never come out. when i was a kid in queens n.y. from about the age of 8 i used to play the joker poker machines in the kids candy stores and...

"no one was arrested" the police were being payed off for them to stay in buissness until the higherups were informed reporters were on the story. more bigtime corruption that will never come out. when i was a kid in queens n.y. from about the age of 8 i used to play the joker poker machines in the kids candy stores and when you wanted to cashout you would tell the cashier who would look at your credits reset it to zero and pay you and start with the next customer.there was even a private yugoslavian club that had a joker poker machines that you pressed cashout and all the quarters you won would just pop out,this all went on till i moved from queens to upstate n.y. when i was 22.

This is exactly why the USA has to legalize online gambling!

Albeit the news article vague in details im guessing from the information that is here its similar to something I experienced while in the USA a few years ago. From the sounds of it, the premises are for all intents and purposes functioning as an Internet cafe, however you can play on their 'closed network' casino, spending...

Albeit the news article vague in details im guessing from the information that is here its similar to something I experienced while in the USA a few years ago. From the sounds of it, the premises are for all intents and purposes functioning as an Internet cafe, however you can play on their 'closed network' casino, spending and winning real money. Pretty much sit at a terminal, load their internal network casino software, hand the shop assistant/cashier your money that you want to play with and your good to go. No ID needed, no bank details, More importantly - no regulation. I bet the people running this little operation made a small fortune....