Internet Cafes Sweeping Northeast Ohio
Brook Park became the latest community to approve Internet sweepstakes cafes. They look like gambling, sound like gambling, but are not gambling. A Toledo judge agreed, ruling these Internet cafes are not gambling because the winnings are predetermined by computer. The Ohio Attorney General’s office is leaving the legality up to local courts and officials. As a result, rules do vary from community to community. Tom Coyne, a lobbyist for the café operator in Brook Park, would like to see that change, calling for uniform state regulation.