A lawsuit has been filed by a pair of South Florida arcade operators in Broward County seeking to block the state’s week-old law intended to close all strip-center gaming parlors.
Boardwalk Brothers, Inc., which operates an arcade in Tamarac, and Play It Again, LLC, which has a business in Davie, claim the law Gov. Rick Scott signed April 10 that only allows coin-operated machines “is vague, arbitrary and not rationally related to any legitimate governmental purpose.”
The lawsuit was filed in the 17th Judicial Circuit Court.
The new law, which requires machines to be coin-operated and caps prizes at 75 cents, basically affirms that gambling is illegal in Florida unless authorized by the state.
The Florida Arcade Association contends the law will close more than 200 arcades and businesses throughout the state.
The law was shepherded quickly through the Legislature after an multi-state and federal investigation led to raids in March at Internet cafes across Florida and the arrests of 57 people.
The scandal also forced the resignation on March 12 of former Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, who in the past did consulting work for Allied Veterans of the World, a charity at the center of the investigation.
