In the Excelsior District, four buildings nestled within eight blocks of each other hold internet cafés that, while appearing to be regular businesses from the outside, operate on the fringe of legality.
While offering regular internet services, internet cafes such as Net stop, located on 4458 Mission Street at Excelsior Avenue, have computers that come equipped with casino games that involve betting and winning prizes.
The legal loophole that these businesses grew out of, said Nicole Agbayani, Program coordinator of the Excelsior Action Group (EAG), is that “it doesn’t involve gambling of currency but computer bytes,” or units of digital information in computing.
The Bureau of Gambling Control states that the patrons at these internet cafés use purchased internet or phone time for betting in casino-style games. The internet time purchased shows up in the form of computer bytes that the patrons use to gamble with.
The Bureau explains that “customers who win prizes can cash in any winnings, or use the winnings to purchase additional internet time and sweepstakes entries,” and that “cash prizes ranging from $1 to $4,000 are paid daily.”
There has been a dwindling number of these types of online casinos in the Bay Area recently. Oakland sent letters of cease and desist in 2010 to two internet cafes operating in the city, and Antioch got rid of their last one in April by refusing to renew the business license.
Concord and Vallejo each have only one casino left, with local governments trying to get rid of them.
Agbayani is working with Angie Minkin, the board chair of EAG, Rani Singh, neighborhood prosecutor for the district attorney in charge of Taraval and Ingleside, and Captain Timothy Falvey of the Ingleside police station to shut down these casinos with the help of District Supervisor John Avalos.
Capt. Falvey said that there have been a number of complaints relating to “suspected illegal activity happening inside the businesses” from neighbors as well as “illegal activity as a result of the people hanging around the businesses.”
On a given day, clients to the café can be seen standing out front of the establishment smoking cigarettes. Neighbors complain about littering and loitering.
“Keep in mind, these businesses are not operating as a casino, but rather an internet cafe. Our [objective] is to stop illegal activities, not the business,” he added.
There have been 83 arrests within 500ft of the building since Net Stop opened in November 2012, according to statistics provided by Agbayani. These acts of crime range from intoxicated persons to petty theft, robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, and grand theft auto.
Singh, the neighborhood prosecutor, said the hope is “to stop all illegal activity, and take these establishments out of the neighborhood.” He is tasked with tackling criminal issues through mediation, prosecution, community work, and helping the police.
Angie Minkin, board chair of EAG, is concerned about having businesses such as these in the Excelsior.
“Police have been called to Net Stop several times. This is not the kind of establishment we want to encourage in the Outer Mission,” Minkin said. “The planning department needs to be aware of the consequences [of having these establishments here].”
A different version of this story ran The Ingleside Light