The History of Internet Cafés and the Current Approach to Their Regulation

This Article will examine the rise of Internet cafés by tracing their gambling roots back to the early evolution of gray market slot machines, such as mint dispensers, up to more modern pull-tab machines. It will also provide an overview of how local governments, state regulators, attorneys general, and state legislatures are dealing with the spread of Internet cafés and the “simulated gambling machines” played therein. Finally, it will offer some options to communities faced with these gambling operations when state laws provide insufficient guidance, regulation, or law enforcement to address the legitimacy of these operations.