Columbus City Council has approved a six-month moratorium on new Internet sweepstakes cafes. Under the moratorium, no permits, which are required to operate such a business, will be issued. Columbus has joined a number of cities that have enacted these moratoriums, hoping that the state will soon issue some guidance ... Read More

Columbus City Council members Zach Klein and Michelle Mills have expressed a desire to place a six month moratorium on new Internet cafes with the hope that during this time the state will issue guidelines on regulating these industries. A vote could come as early as the Council’s October 24th ... Read More

The city of Cheviot has opened the possibility for the first Internet café in Hamilton County with the passage of a local ordinance regulating such businesses. This is unusual on two counts. First of all, up until now, Internet cafes have been primarily confined to northern Ohio. Hamilton County is ... Read More

Medina has extended a temporary moratorium on internet sweepstakes cafes an additional six months. Set to expire in May, this means new establishments will now be prohibited until November. The basis for the extension was to wait until Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine submits his proposal for statewide regulation of ... Read More

The village of Sheffield became the latest local entity to approve legislation that would allow sweepstakes cafes in their community. These businesses may begin operating on April 25, the day a six-month moratorium expires. Among the provisions: A $5,000 annual licensing fee; A $50 per machine monthly licensing fee; No one under the age ... Read More

The city of Wadsworth, by a 4-2 vote, approved legislation to regulate sweepstakes cafes. A six-month moratorium that had been in place was to expire April 22. Among the new rules: An annual licensing fee of $2,000. This will fund the required background checks on business owners and employees; Existing, as well as ... Read More

Attorney General Mike DeWine, along with state representatives Nan Baker of Westlake and Marlene Anielski of Walton Hills, have proposed legislation that would regulate Ohio’s Internet cafes, including skill game parlors and sweepstakes cafes. The proposal calls for the games to be under the control of the newly formed Ohio Casino ... Read More

Trotwood became the latest city to adopt a six-month moratorium on sweepstakes cafes and skill gaming centers. Currently, the city sees both as games of skill, not gambling. The law director believes these cafes are legal and expects the Franklin County ruling against such cafes to be appealed. Meanwhile, Summit County ... Read More

Lacking any state guidance, local governments continue their efforts to stall or prevent the operation of these cafes. What started out as a northeast Ohio phenomenon has now spread across the state. In Franklin County, Judge Harland Hale has ruled that ‘sweepstakes machines’ violate Ohio’s gambling law. This has paved the ... Read More