As expected, Council passed legislation intended to provide greater oversight of Internet cafes and sweepstakes parlors in the county’s nine townships. The legislation will require each business to pay a $1,000 annual fee, as well as a $200 fee per machine, to be paid every six months. Businesses will also have to disclose ownership and prove compliance with Ohio’s gambling laws with a certificate or report from “an authorized independent testing laboratory”.

Other key components of the legislation:

• Hours are restricted to 1:00 p.m. to midnight on Sunday and 10:00 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday;
• No business may open within 500 feet of a school, public library, public playground, or any establishment with a liquor permit;
• No one under the age of 18 will be permitted to enter the premises;
• Businesses will be required to provide names and addresses of all owners and employees;
• Licenses will not be issued if someone involved with the business has been convicted of a gambling “or other crime of moral turpitude within five years preceding the application”.
• Law enforcement may enter an establishment without first establishing probable cause of a crime and obtaining a search warrant. Don Malarcik, an Akron attorney, has stated he will file suit sometime in the next 30 days, before the new law takes effect.