It seems that if you happen to be in the state of Florida, it would be deemed illegal if you were to use your smartphone. Now that did not make much sense to you, right? That is because the state of Florida recently introduced a poorly-worded law that has the intention of banning Internet cafes and slot machines, but apparently, the choice of words used actually went above and beyond its original scope, declaring that any electronic device that is capable of playing a “game of chance” on the Internet to be illegal. This law is currently being challenged in court by an Internet cafe owner, who apparently had to shut down her business after a scandal that involved the lieutenant governor.
In early 2013, Florida Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll happened to be part of a scandal that involved a charity she consulted, which was then shut down as it functioned as a front for an Internet gambling site. Carroll was then forced to resign, with a bill that banned “any system or network of devices” which can be used in a “game of chance” was passed shortly afterwards. Attorneys for Consuelo Zapata, who is the owner of an affected Internet cafe which provided online access to migrant workers, tourists and others in need of an Internet connection, claimed that the law is poorly-worded, and “was passed in a frenzy fueled by distorted judgement in the wake” of the scandal. I guess this means that smartphones, too, are outlawed.
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