Police raided a Santa Rosa Internet cafe this week, the fifth in Sonoma County since February to come under investigation for allegedly offering illegal gambling games on its computers.
Police seized the computers, equipment, financial records and about $20,000 in cash from Justice PCS, a Guerneville Road storefront just west of Coddingtown Mall, Santa Rosa police officials said.
The businesses offered games that simulated traditional gambling games with illegal computer software on its computers, Sgt. Mike Lazzarini said.
These types of businesses have proliferated over the last year, and not just in Sonoma County, Lazzarini said.
"This is a growing problem statewide," Lazzarini said.
Municipalities across the state have been grappling with whether these games are in fact illegal. Police have shut down Internet cafes from Sacramento to San Diego.
Alameda County banned sweepstakes games in March, while businesses in Hayward sued the city after its council passed a moratorium on that type of business.
Business owners have argued the games are no different from traditional sweepstakes used as sales promotions by many kinds of companies, particularly fast-food chains.
Customers rent time on computers with web access and proprietary software, often modeled after familiar gambling games like blackjack and poker.
When a player wins or loses money in the course of a game or simply can win something of value, that is gambling, which is illegal, Lazzarini said.
"There is lot of debate in regards to the sweepstakes angle of it," Lazzarini said.
But in December, the California Bureau of Gambling Control issued a statewide warning to police about so-called sweepstakes Internet cafes.
State courts have equated these computer games with slot machines, according to the law enforcement advisory.
The bureau "considers Internet cafes that offer these types of sweepstakes to be illegal gambling operations," the advisory said.
At Justice PCS in Santa Rosa, the programs used a system of counting credits that were either won or lost during game play, Lazzarini said. Customers redeemed the credits for cash.
The Guerneville Road business also sold phones and phone accessories.
No one was arrested Wednesday during the raid. Two employees were at the business.
The Santa Rosa police property crimes team will forward its investigation to the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office, Lazzarini said. The owner is thought to live outside the state.
Employees could also face charges for allowing gambling to take place.
On Feb. 28, police seized computers at four similar businesses run by Andrew Lee of Rohnert Park: Cyber Cafe SR on West Third Street in Santa Rosa, Computer Place on Santa Rosa Avenue, Cyber Cafe on Redwood Drive in Rohnert Park and Jukebox Guys Corporation on Martin Drive in Rohnert Park.
The District Attorney's Office is still reviewing the police investigation and has not yet charged Lee with facilitating gambling or any related crime, Lazzarini said.
All of the businesses had been open for about a year or less, including Justice PCS which opened earlier this year, Lazzarini said.
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