Popularity of Internet 'Sweepstakes'

The games are the latest frontier in the battle over what constitutes illegal gaming. Sweepstakes also are played in Alabama, California, Florida, Hawaii, Massachusetts, South Carolina and Texas. Arizona and Utah are on the list for expansion.

Customers can either buy Internet time by itself, or a combo deal — $5 for a 100-minute phone card, one hour of Internet time and 100 sweepstakes points. Those points can only be used to play games on the cafe's computers.

William Consterdine, vice president of Extreme Insured Products, which distributes the games, understands why at first glance people might see the Internet Cafe as a casino. But, he said, there is one key distinction.

"It's a free game," he said. "When a person comes in and buys a phone card from us, if they want to sit down and use their sweepstakes points to log on to our games, they can. If they don't want to, they don't have to. They can take their phone card and leave."

What's more, he said, the sweepstakes points cannot be traded for cash or merchandise, they can only be used to play the games. The points won playing the games cannot be used to continue playing, they can only be redeemed for cash or merchandise.

Bob Jarvis, who teaches gambling law at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said the classic definition of gambling is that someone gives up something of value to take a chance at winning a prize.

Interesting. I love sweepstakes.

Colbert
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