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  • Lucky Peaches Sweepstakes is a new business in the North Hills Shopping Center. (Misty Watson/The Daily Citizen)

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August 24, 2011

Internet cafes targeted by state

As part of governor’s initiative against gambling

Mark Millican markmillican@daltoncitizen.com

The smell of stale cigarette smoke greets visitors to the darkened environs of an Internet cafe business just north of Dalton.

Illuminating the small room are around two dozen computer screens sporting colorful webpages promoting games of chance — plus the chance to win money.

Lucky Peaches Sweepstakes, a new business in the North Hills Shopping Center, is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week, according to its advertising.

Why?

“Come in and Win Some Ca$h,” says writing on the door.

But isn’t gambling in Georgia illegal?

Last week at the State Capitol, Gov. Nathan Deal was flanked by two of the state’s top law enforcement officials — Attorney General Sam Olens and Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vernon Keenan — to announce a crackdown on “a facet of illegal gambling they say is thriving across the state in Internet cafes,” according to coverage of the news conference in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“Our state law prohibits gambling. The code is black and white on this issue,” the newspaper reported Deal as saying.

On Tuesday, a manager at Lucky Peaches Sweepstakes who did not identify herself began to tell a reporter who identified himself how to play the games — but then had second thoughts.

“You buy time on the Internet,” she began, but when the reporter began to write down the procedure she stopped and called her “boss.”

“He asked that you not put that in there,” she said, pointing at the notepad. Later, the manager said, “We don’t gamble here,” and would not answer when it was pointed out the message on the door said visitors could “Win Some Ca$h.”

A promotional flier advertises Lucky Peaches — with three peaches in a row depicted like winners on a slot machine — as offering “Internet Cafe Sweepstakes” and states, “We have Spin Games, Poker (and) Keno.”

Keenan said the governor has ordered him “to coordinate with local police and prosecutors in a statewide effort to stamp out the industry,” the AJC reported. He said there are a number of active investigations.

Asked about Lucky Peaches Sweepstakes, District Attorney Kermit McManus replied, “I know of it.”

He said most prosecutors have been waiting on the governor’s initiative.

“After the governor’s news conference last week, most of those places are shutting down,” McManus reported. “I don’t know if this one here in Dalton will shut down or not. We’ll look at it and see what action we think we should take. We haven’t taken any action at this point because we were waiting to see what the governor was going to do.”

He said the Legislature passed a gambling bill in its last session but it was vetoed by the governor when it got to his desk.

“Not me personally, but there were some DAs around the state who had worked very hard on that bill, and it was to restrict these type of what we call ‘sweepstakes’ Internet cafes,” he said. “We were a little surprised at that (veto), but we found out he vetoed it because he didn’t think it was strong enough. And so, I think what is going to happen now is — he said at the press conference they were going to conduct investigations through the (Georgia Bureau of Investigation).”

McManus said DAs across the state have been advised that “more stringent legislation” regarding online gambling will be introduced in the General Assembly in January.

Maj. John Gibson with the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office said on Tuesday his deputies had received no complaints about the business.

Bill Holloway of the county tax assessor’s office said owner information was not available since the county does not require a business license.

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