BRADENTON — Manatee County Commissioners unanimously approved an ordinance prohibiting the commercial use of simulated gambling devices in the county’s unincorporated areas, giving local authorities another way to crack down on businesses operating the electronic games often found in so-called “adult arcades.”
The ordinance, approved Sept. 22, comes as the county and Manatee County Sheriff’s Office grapple with what officials describe as the continuing proliferation of establishments that offer casino-style games despite Florida’s restrictions on gambling.
The new rules apply only to unincorporated Manatee County, not within cities such as Bradenton, where municipal governments with jurisdiction would need to take their own action to restrict simulated gambling devices…