Murrieta Cyber Cafe Raided For Running Alleged Illegal Gambling Operation

MURRIETA (CBSLA.com) — Police on Friday raided a Murrieta cyber cafe, seizing computers that authorities said were used to run an illegal casino-style gambling operation.

The raid was the culmination of a two year investigation that found the Talk-N-Win at 33050 Antelope Road was operating illegal casino-style games under the guise of an Internet cafe, said Murrieta Police Lt. Ron Driscoll.

Such cafes, which have come under scrutiny lately by lawmakers, often sell Internet time and provide customers the chance to play computer "sweepstakes" games for cash prizes.

In September, Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a bill prohibiting businesses from operating electronic sweepstakes games offering patrons cash payouts. In June, the California Supreme Court ruled the cafes are illegal, claiming the computer games are the equivalent of slot machines, which are only allowed on tribal casinos in California.

Driscoll said dozens of computers were seized by investigators for forensic analysis. A patron was cited for alleged possession of a controlled substance. No arrests were made, he said.

(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)