In Florida, the state legislature wanted to crack down on what it felt was a growing problem of Internet cafe gambling. To do so, it felt that the best way was to place steep restrictions on the types of machines that would be considered legal in the state for gambling-like activities.
As a result, they passed a new law that such said machines had to comply with three different rules:
- All machines had to be coin operated, no dollar bills, credit cards, etc.
- All games had to involve an element of skill, not just be pure chance
- No machine could offer a cash prise, only merchandise, and only of a value up to 75 cents.
With the law passed, the police began to move in on Internet cafes that offered gambling services and it seemed that the law was effective, shutting down the intended target.
But then some of those cafe owners began to cry foul saying that the law was being unfairly applied to only them. According to them, the law also makes Chuck E Cheese equally illegal.
Though many recoiled at the idea of a children’s arcade being an illegal den of gambling, upon closer inspection, the argument makes sense. The chain not only offers prizes with over 75 cent value, some going up to $20 or more, but it also has several games that are pure chance.
In short, a law that was intended to shutter Internet cafes widely considered to be shady, may have accidentally banned a popular destination for kids.
But it wasn’t the first or last law to go bad. The law of unintended consequences can be brutal and many times legislators are the first to feel its sting. [Read more…] about Why Good Laws Go Bad