Internet jackpot cafe - update

I doubt the place will stay in business very long. It could possibly have a chance if it were not for a casino a few blocks away.

Oh bummer. We thought, and hoped! That it was a no go when we walked past it earlier. It looked like it was already vacated! We can just keep our fingers crossed that it quickly disappears.

I thought Kenzo took care of this ? your slacking man.

Ugh, put the frosted window film back.

Nope. This is not my problem.

I was told that this tenant was kicked out and it appears that I was lied to or something changed.

Have fun finding out who the tenant is. We all know who the building owner is.

Harrisburg will see to it that there is no legitimate off-license competition to the casino licensees. So if you're looking to get rid of this business, I would contact these people:

http://gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov/

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL
No. 1893 Session of
2011

INTRODUCED BY VULAKOVICH, DAVIS, SCHRODER, MANN, BAKER, CLYMER, D. COSTA, FABRIZIO, HAHN, LONGIETTI, MAJOR, MARSHALL, MILLARD, MILLER, SAINATO, SWANGER AND YOUNGBLOOD, OCTOBER 14, 2011

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON GAMING OVERSIGHT, OCTOBER 14, 2011

AN ACT

Amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, further providing for gambling devices, gambling, etc.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 5513(a) and (f) of Title 18 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes are amended and the section is amended by adding a subsection to read:
§ 5513. Gambling devices, gambling, etc.
(a) Offense defined. A person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree if he:
(1) intentionally or knowingly makes, assembles, sets up, maintains, sells, lends, leases, gives away, or offers for sale, loan, lease or gift, any punch board, drawing card, slot machine or any device to be used for gambling purposes, except playing cards;
(2) allows persons to collect and assemble for the purpose of unlawful gambling at any place under his control;
(3) solicits or invites any person to visit any unlawful gambling place for the purpose of gambling; [or]
(4) being the owner, tenant, lessee or occupant of any premises, knowingly permits or suffers the same, or any part thereof, to be used for the purpose of unlawful gambling[.]; or
(5) owns, operates, maintains, places into operation or has a financial interest in an electronic gaming machine or device to do any of the following:
(i) Conduct a sweepstakes through the use of a simulated gambling device, including the entry process or the revealing of a prize.
(ii) Promote a sweepstakes that is conducted through the use of a simulated gambling device, including the entry process or the revealing of a prize.
* * *
(e.1) Construction. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit any activity that is lawfully conducted under any of the following:
(1) The act of August 26, 1971 (P.L.351, No.91), known as the State Lottery Law.
(2) The act of July 10, 1981 (P.L.214, No.67), known as the Bingo Law.
(3) The act of December 19, 1988 (P.L.1262, No.156), known as the Local Option Small Games of Chance Act.
(4) 4 Pa.C.S. (relating to amusements).

Are there any legitimate Internet cafes around here? I need to print some things and am out of ink at home.

that's called kinko's.

I actually miss Kinko's. The Fedexification of the brand is now complete with a service downgrade. Staples is deplorable. I go to the NL Mailbox Store when I need anything small. Go small business go!

They are really nice at that store, and I would use them again, but the quality of something b/w I had printed and laminated was only ok.

there's still a kinko's at 18th and spring garden, no?

it's the fed ex store, now.

According to the PlanPhilly artcile, the Jackpot people told NKCDC that they would charge $1 for every 8 minutes of computer time.

$1 for every 8 minutes comes out to $7.50 an hour.

In Pennsylvania the minimum wage is $7.25 an hour:
http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm#Pennsylvania

Heh. I'm dying to figure out what is the demographic that will patronize this store. It seems a bit expensive for those in the lowest rungs of the pay scales.

- An endless supply of hipsters that lost their cell phones and need to get a message to grandma... Right. Now?
- Panhandlers on Delaware Avenue that need a place to update their resume?

According to their website, the closest FedEx Kinko's that offers print services (as in having actual computers you can sit down at) is in Tom's River, NJ. It looks like you can print documents online and pick them up from pretty much any FedEx location, but the website for that is down.

if you want to come downtown i'll print it for you right now.

I didn't know they offered print services there. That's where I was going to go to ship this stuff once printed, so if I can do both in one place that's great.

Isn't that why we have jobs, to print ourselves stuff at the office?

I'm out of ink.

You work from home? Why no ink at work? Not a good sign.

Yes I work from home. And the reason I have no ink is because at the moment I'm fighting an uphill battle to get work to let me expense it since they're the only ones who ever require me to print anything.

They only have one computer station, but it is not in use 90% of the time I go in there. You may, however, have to talk to a human being at some point while you are in there. Not sure if that will work for you.

http://nlmailboxstore.com/copy.shtml

We have a platinum card at holiday inns (my fiancé travels for work, plus I won a lot of points from a dr oz contest) so whenever we are away from from, we just pop in to one. We thought a plan to say, "do you mind if we use your business center? We stay with you quite frequently and have a platinum card..." we have never been stop once.

Sure, we don't do this everyday. We usually print from home.

But if we are away from home, it's our go to spot. Just ask for the business office at a hotel. If you need a key, just wait patiently or ask help for that too.

I was shocked at how well of a print job I got at from Staples on Columbus Blvd last year.

I'll manage, thanks.

Okay, there has to be something that we can do about this, right? Any experts out there want to share strategies? Could we target the person who leased the property? Is their a zoning issue? And how did these folks not need to present before the FNA?

1) Why do you have an inkjet instead of a laser printer?
2) How big is this job? If it's not too big come my my office.

Lol.

I know I'm dense, but I can't see how this works. $1.00 for 8 minutes of internet use? Is that a bargain?
I just can't wrap my head around what this place is actually going to do. There's no real gambling there, right? Just computers? I dunno...I missing something. Why would anyone want to go there?

i think the premise is that there is some kind of gambling based on a (not so) legal loophole.

So every coffee shop and restaurant along Frankford needs a variance but this is cool? I get that they found a state gaming loophole but what about the city?

Can you please post the personal information of the building owner online again? As we were lied to about the plans, I think a reversal of course is appropriate.

No zoning issue. The building is C2. I don't think the building ever went to zoning for the split use though for the 2 apartments above the storefront.

I don't think anybody is really against the building or the apartments or the storefront, just the tenant in the storefront. If a variance was needed, that's the owner's problem. But if there wasn't a internet casino on the ground floor, would anybody object to this building otherwise?

Wait for Harrisburg to pass the update to the Gaming Act to make sweepstakes casino simulation games illegal. Then the staties will take care of it.

I'd rather wait and let this fester.

Kenzo did you talk to the owner ? I thought Barry or whatever your friends name is talked to his wife to straighten this out.

I don't know who went to his house. Don't care.

Let the staties take care of it for us.

Another place for the lowlife to hang out. Guard your pocketbook granny!

Sam's experience over the weekend: http://www.citypaper.net/blogs/nakedcity/Jackpot-Cyber-Cafe-is-open--and-yet-continues-to-mystify.html

"Social networking classes".

LOL

Don't laugh, I think I need those.

Social networking was invented in the river wards. It's called your front steps.

Thats a nice way of putting it.
Usually its called not knowing how to mind our own business.

Get a laser printer. I bought a decent one for under 200 dollars.....best purchase ever. The toner lasts forever and you save a boatload not having to by those stupid little ink cartridges every 2-3 months.

I swear by this machine... I bought it at a Staples in Delco years and years ago. I think it's at least 5 years old now and I'm only on my 3rd toner cartridge.

HP 3050, I think you can find used ones on eBay.

Course the new-fangled printers have wireless built-in so you don't have to chain your printer to your desk anymore. I didn't have room on my desk even tho this is an upright but if you take an old computer or a cheap netbook or an old laptop, a wireless USB dongle, you can put both in the closet and use the computer as a makeshift print server.

I have a tiny Shuttle PC that's 4 years old velcro'd to the back of this thing with a cheap USB wireless dongle hanging off of it and set it in a closet in my office on wire racks. Works great.

Has anyone gone yet? I'd love a full report from someone!

This Plan Philly article is a good piece of reporting. I'd recommend you check it out to understand the legalities of 'Jackpot' http://planphilly.com/owner-fishtowns-internet-jackpot-cafe-says-its-no-gambling-house

a) Boo Hoo for the owner that he had to spend 15 hours scraping off his crappy and ugly frosted window decals

b) He used to have a mortgage mod business and now he has this? Talk about making a career out of making money from people's misfortunes.

c) Just because the law allows it, it doesn't mean we have to be ok with it. Casinos offer other "services" like restaurants, shows, and hotel rooms. It doesn't make them any less predatory.

I was on the fence about Sugar House because of the location - I didn't think it was close enough to any dense residential areas that it would have a huge negative impact. But this place is smack dab in the middle of where people live. It's on a main block down which a bus passes that, quite frankly, often carries people who are struggling with addiction. It is owned by a man who seems to get off on taking advantage of other people's problems. The entire thing does not sit well at all with me. Not well at all.

I am more than a little skeptical of this statement because Jackpot is the only business to have occupied that new building. Unless he was running his mortgage modification business from the vacant lot that was there before.

i was wondering about that, too.

If I had any lingering doubts as to the "scuzz" factor with this business, those are cleared up now.

Pretty sad.

if this one fails he's going to steal puppies for ransom.

I was just wondering how you can pump gas for years, accumulate enough money to start some kind of mortgage business, fail at that, and still have enough of a credit line to get all that equipment into the store. Either this guy is a genius at making money off of failing business', or they're playing with someone else's money. And really? You sign a two year lease for a business that is brand new? I've never run a business, but two years is quite a committment. I've never signed a lease for more than a year at a time, and that was just to live somewhere. And I wasn't even sure I would last the year.

I like that the explanation of the game was "just like Monopoly at McDonald's", which was the exlpanation in the BusinessWeek article about sweepstakes cafes. They must all coordinate!

I noticed this morning while walking the dogs that there is a 'for rent' sign up in front. Perhaps Jackpot has closed before it ever really opened?

i saw that the other day. it might be for the apartment upstairs.

Good point, I hadn't thought about that.

Hope thr rent isnt 8 dollars an hour too

JAYFAR posted this article from Businessweek over at Phillyspeaks; it is long but has interesting background on the internet/jackpot business model...
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_18/b4226076180073.htm