Internet or sweepstakes cafes have been under scrutiny statewide and here in the Bay area for years.
Now, some of the cafes are being taken down and some of the operators are going to jail.
Two men in Spring Hill were among the dozens arrested Wednesday as part of a three-year investigation into Jacksonville-based Allied Veterans of the World.
Anthony Alascia, 52, and John Cucciniell, 46, were taken into custody at a Spring Hill internet cafe. The men are facing charges ranging from operating illegal slot machines to racketeering and money laundering.
Charles Bartlett also was arrested and is facing charges of maintaining a gambling establishment and possessing coin-operated gambling devices.
Authorities say the men operated Gin Lin sweepstakes operations in Spring Hill and have ties to Allied Veterans of the World.
"It was something to do. I never spent more than 20 bucks," said Anthony Imbornone, who played at the Gin Lin. He had not heard of the bust. “If they did what they did then I guess they got to be closed down.”
Stephen Fleming and his wife own salon 427 that’s right next to one of the shutdown internet cafes in Spring Hill.
“We were just in awe when we saw the reports come on the news. We were shocked. It has been a local business here for years,” he said.
Fleming doesn’t know the owners but said everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
“One of the great things about our country and our legal system is due process so we’ll see what happens,” Fleming said.
Allied Veterans is registered as a charitable organization for tax purposes, but investigators found that only $5.8 million - from January 2008 to January 2012 - went to any charitable groups, including veterans.
Allied Veterans' 49 parlors in Florida were raided and shut down. Authorities said they seized about 300 bank accounts containing $64.7 million, as well as sports cars and other property.
Another sweepstakes cafe location in Bradenton was raided this week as part of the statewide sweep. About a dozen people may eventually face charges in connection with that operation.
On Wednesday, Jennifer Carroll resigned as Florida's lieutenant governor following questions by authorities investigating an Internet cafe company that she once represented.
Carroll was not charged with any wrongdoing. A public relations firm she once co-owned, 3 N& JC, worked for Allied Veterans. A Navy veteran who served in the Gulf War, Carroll also appeared in a TV ad in 2011 promoting the organization's work on behalf of veterans and their families.
Carroll said in a statement that neither she nor the public relations firm were targeted in the probe, and she stepped down so that her ties to the organization would not be a distraction for Republican Gov. Rick Scott's administration.
"I have and will continue to fully cooperate with any investigation," Carroll said.
The investigation involved 57 arrest warrants and 54 search warrants issued in Florida and five other states: South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Nevada and Pennsylvania.