BREAKING SITUATIONS AS WE LEARN MORE. WE’LL MAKE SURE TO BRING YOU UPDATES THROUGHOUT
THE NEWSCAST.
>> WE HAVE A NEWS, 4 JAX.
UPDATE ON ADULT GAME ROOMS IN
JACKSONVILLE. THEY’RE COMING
BACK. AND NOW ONE CITY COUNCIL
MEMBER WANTS TO MAKE THEM
LEGAL. YOU MAY RECALL THE CITY
SHUT THEM DOWN 3 YEARS AGO
SAYING THEY WERE ILLEGAL
GAMBLING SPOT. NOW THEY’RE
OPERATING UNDERGROUND AND
THERE’S A PUSH TO LEGALIZE
THEM ONCE AGAIN.
>> FOLLOWING WHAT’S BEEN
HAPPENING WITH GAME ROOMS AND
THEY FIRST OPENED NEARLY 2
DECADES AGO. SO JIM IS JOINING
US LIVE. JIM, WHAT’S THE
LIKELIHOOD OF THESE COMING
BACK? FORMALLY?
>> WELL, IF YOU TALK TO ONE
CITY COUNCILMAN, IT’S VERY
LIKELY THAT THEY’RE GOING TO
OPEN. FACT, THERE ARE SOME
PRETTY BIG BEHIND THE NAME
SCENES HERE ARE THE PEOPLE
BEHIND THE SCENES IN THIS AND
ARE PUSHING FOR THIS TO HAPPEN
NOW, LET ME SHOW YOU AROUND
THAT. I’M HERE ON THE WEST
SIDE. THIS BUILDING BEHIND ME
IS ONE OF THE LOCATIONS AT A
CITY POINTING OUT TO ME THAT
THEY HAD SIGHTED PEOPLE HERE
FOR HAVING AN ILLEGAL GAMING
DEVICE. THERE BEEN OTHERS
AROUND. YOU HAVE BEEN TO MANY
SITES THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
CHECKING THEM OUT, CHECKING
WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE. PEOPLE
THAT I TALK TO ARE SAYING SOME
ARE GLAD THAT THESE GAME ROOMS
ARE OPENING UP, BUT WORK IS
REALLY UNDER WAY RIGHT NOW TO
GET THEM OPENED UP LEGALLY.
>> MICHELLE ROSS JUST COME OUT
OF THE REFILL STATION ON LANE
AVENUE AND EXPLAIN TO US
WHAT’S GOING ON INSIDE.
>> THE JUST PLAY ON YOUR PHONE
THAT KEEP PLAYING CASINO.
>> AND WHEN YOU MEAN YOU, YOU
KNOW, YOU WE TO GIVE YOU
MONEY, RIGHT? YOU DON’T GAME
ROOMS HAVE NOT BEEN LEGAL IN
JACKSONVILLE FOR ALMOST 3
YEARS. THE CITY CRACKDOWN
CLOSING ALL OF THEM.
>> CITY COUNCILMAN GARRETT
DENNIS IS WORKING TO CHANGE
THAT BECAUSE HE SAYS THERE ARE
NOW HUNDREDS OPERATING
ILLEGALLY THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
>> AND SAYS IT’S TIME TO BRING
THEM UNDER CONTROL.
>> THERE ARE UNDERGROUND THERE
HAVEN FOR CRIME. IT’S TIME TO
BRING THEM TO THE LIGHT. THIS
MAP SHOWS THE LOCATION OF 10
ILLEGAL GAMING ROOMS THAT THE
CITY HAS CITED THIS YEAR. IT
ACTUALLY TRIED TO BUST 36 OF
THEM BUT DIDN’T FIND MACHINES
AND ALL OF THE PLACES WE WENT
TO MANY OF THOSE LOCATIONS
LIKE THIS RESTAURANT, WHICH
WAS LISTED AS A LOCATION CITED
BY THE CITY.
>> I DID GO IN HERE AND TALKED
WITH THE OWNER WHO EXPLAINED
OFF CAMERA WHAT WAS GOING ON.
SO THESE GAME ROOMS NOW, ARE
YOU ACTUALLY A LITTLE BIT
DIFFERENT? IN FACT?
>> INSIDE THIS EATERY HERE,
THEY USED TO HAVE A MACHINE
THAT LOOKS LIKE AN ATM MACHINE
THAT PEOPLE WOULD PLAY GAMES
ON THEIR PHONE OUT IN THEIR
CAR. WALK IN THERE, GO UP TO
THAT MACHINE WOULD ACTUALLY
PAY OFF THEIR WINNINGS. BUT
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE
CITY CITED THEM FOR. BUT IF
THIS LEGISLATION IS APPROVED,
SOMETHING LIKE THIS COULD BE
LEGAL, THIS LEGISLATION THAT
GARRETT DENNIS PLANS TO FILE
WOULD RESTRICT THAT KIND OF
OPERATION. IN FACT, IT SAYS
THE CITY SHOW LIMIT THE NUMBER
TO 20 LISTEN. THERE’S HUNDREDS
ALL OVER OUR CITY
>> THAT’S THAT’S ROBBING THE
CONSUMER AND IS WRONG AGAIN.
NOW IT’S TIME TO SHUT SHUTTING
DOWN AND LIMIT.
>> THE NUMBER OF OPERATORS
DURING THE PAST YEAR, I’VE
BEEN TO SEVERAL OF THE SITES
THEY’RE OPERATING DISCREETLY.
THERE ARE NO SIGNS SAYING
WHAT’S GOING ON INSIDE MUCH
DIFFERENT THAN IN THE PAST
WHEN WE WERE ALLOWED IN AND
OPERATORS WERE EAGER TO SHOW
US WHAT WAS GOING ON INSIDE.
AND IN THE PAST, THE CITY MADE
NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS TO TRY AND
SHUT THEM DOWN. THEY WERE
SUCCESSFUL. I TALKED TO
ATTORNEY KELLY MATHIS WHO
REPRESENTED SEVERAL GAME ROOM
OWNERS. IT’S NOT SURPRISING
THAT THEY ARE NOW MAKING A THE
GAME ROOM OPERATORS FELT THAT
THEY GOT A DEAL FROM THE CITY
2 YEARS 3 YEARS AGO. I GUESS
NOW.
>> THEY WERE SHUT DOWN ON
SHORT NOTICE AFTER THEY HAD
BEEN OPERATING IN JACKSONVILLE
FOR YEARS. MATHIS WAS ARRESTED
IN 2013 AND TAKEN TO JAIL FOR
HIS INVOLVEMENT IN
REPRESENTING SOME GAME ROOM.
CLIENTS.
>> THOSE CHARGES WERE
EVENTUALLY DROPPED. WHY ARE
YOU INVOLVED AGAIN?
>> JIM.
>> AS YOU KNOW, IT FELT VERY
STRONGLY FROM THE BEGINNING
THAT I DID NOTHING FOR ALL. I
STILL FEEL THAT WAY. AND
PEOPLE LIKE RUSH HOUR US ARE
GLAD TO HEAR THE FIGHT IS BACK
ON.
>> YOU THINK THEY SHOULD
REOPEN THESE GAME ROOMS?
>> DO BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE
SPECIAL L THE PEOPLE THEY
LIKE. I’M PLAYING.
>> YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THIS
LEGISLATION, A CAUSE FOR SOME
VERY STRICT RULES. IF THIS
WERE TO PASS TO OPEN UP
LICENSES AND PERMITS AND COULD
BE PRETTY COSTLY FACT THE COST
OF THOSE PERMITS WOULD
ACTUALLY PAY FOR A CITY
INSPECTOR TO GO THROUGH SOME
OF THESE TO MAKE SURE THAT
THEY’RE OPERATING CORRECTLY.
THAT’S THE ONE THING THAT THEY
WANT TO MAKE SURE FOR NOW,
WE’RE LIVE ON THE WEST SIDE.
JIM PIGGOTT CHANNEL 4, THE
LOCAL STATION. JIM, I KNOW YOU
SAID THE LEGISLATION ISN’T
FILED YET, BUT WHAT’S THE
LIKELIHOOD OF THIS PASSING IN
CITY COUNCIL? WELL, YOU KNOW,
WE HEARD FROM GARRETT DENNIS,
WHO WANTS TO SEE THIS PAST.
I’VE BEEN TALKING TO OTHER
COUNCIL MEMBERS AS WELL. SOME
ARE ON THE FENCE ABOUT THIS.
BUT MANY ARE AGAIN SAYS IF YOU
RECALL, BUT IT WAS A CLOSE
VOTE WHEN THEY VOTED TO SHUT
THESE DOWN BEFORE. SO THEY
THINK THAT THIS WOULD PROBABLY
PASS UP. IT’S GOING TO BE A
LOT OF DEBATE AND A LOT OF
INTEREST ENOCH TALKED WHEN
THIS COMES ABOUT. I JUST THINK