City Attorney Dennis Herrera plans on shutting down a reportedly most unsavory Internet Cafe in the Excelsior. Why? Because it's an alleged hotbed of illegal gambling. According to reports, Net Stop is at least "one of at least five Internet sweepstakes cafes that have opened in the Excelsior district over the past year.
“Gambling is strictly regulated in California for a reason, and Net Stop’s owner should know better than to think he can get away with flouting state and local law,” Herrera fumes in a press release. “When one spot in the City sees a hundred-fold increase in police calls in a single next year, the City will move aggressively to protect the neighborhood and send a message to other would-be scofflaws that similar schemes won’t be tolerated. This is criminal activity creating more criminal activity, and we’re asking the court to put a stop to it and impose the maximum penalties under the law.”
Supervisor John Avalos is also super cross with this den of dashed economic hopes, saying, "Net Stop's blatant violation of the law is doing real damage to quality of life in the area...It has put a terrible strain on the neighborhood, but today we’ve taken a big step toward shutting it down.”
Freaked Yelper Allyson R., for one, has certainly had enough. She vents, "The people who frequent this business are up to no good! Gambling, prostitution, smoking on the street right next to our bus stop, graffiti, break-ins, and general sketchy behavior. Not an appropriate business for our neighborhood."
Indeed. Those looking to get their next gambling fix, should get help check out Graton Resort Casino, which recently opened in Rohnert Park.