JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An I-Team investigation found that about 10 adult game rooms are still operating underground in Jacksonville despite the fact they were outlawed nearly two years ago.
MORE | I-TEAM: Adult game rooms operating underground in Jacksonville
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On Wednesday, News4Jax asked Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry about the game rooms and how the city plans to address them. He actually wants your help to identify them.
“Clearly they’re not allowed under the code and we just learned about that. Our code enforcement folks have been alerted to that. If people tell us and they report it we will send it inspectors out to take a look at it,” Curry said.
Councilman Garrett Dennis said he has been approached by game room operators to introduce legislation to reopen the sites. He said he would not be opposed to it if there were strict limitations and guidelines for them to operate legally.
The reason gaming rooms were shut down before is because the city said they were a haven for criminal activity. There were reports of robberies and shootings, and there was a deadly shooting of a security guard at one site. Plus, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said it was illegal gambling.
Game room owners have contended that it was not gambling, it was just sweepstakes and therefore legal. So far, that has not held up.