User:The C of E/fhb

Florida House Bill 155, also known as Prohibition of Electronic Gambling Devices Act, is a 2013 bill passed by the Florida Legislature. It was aimed at banning electronic gambling devices and internet cafes in the state of Florida. The bill gained notoriety as it was discovered that the original wording had accidentally banned computers and smart phones.

Background
The bill was brought before the Florida Legislature as part of an intended crackdown on a number of charities which had been used as fronts for internet gambling and the Lieutenant Governor of Florida had been forced to resign as a result of association with one of the charities. The bill was passed and signed into law by the Governor of Florida Rick Scott. AS a result, 1,000 internet cafes shut down in Florida immediately.

Controversy
Shortly after the law passed, a lawsuit was filed by an owner of an internet cafe who argued that the wording of the new law was so broad, it meant that Florida had accidentally made all computers and smart phones illegal. The wording of the new law banned any "system or network of devices" that could be used in a game of chance. It was argued that this meant any device that could connect to the internet fell under this definition and was thus illegal.