Unlike gambling activities and skill-based amusement machines which are regulated under Ohio law, sweepstakes operations at internet cafes are currently unregulated. The effort to regulate these machines began in the Ohio House of Representatives, after Rep. Nan Baker and Rep. Marlene Anielski introduced similar legislation on this issue.
“I decided to take on this effort here in the Senate, and with the support of the Attorney General’s office I think we have put together a very balanced and comprehensive piece of legislation,” said Senator Schiavoni. “With the introduction of casinos, racinos and internet cafes to our state, it is important to make sure that every form of gaming is regulated in order to provide our citizens with an understanding of the odds of the games they choose to play.”
Under Senator Schiavoni’s proposed legislation, the Ohio Casino Control Commission will have the authority to license, regulate, investigate and penalize vendors and operators found to be operating illegally. By licensing and regulating these operators, the legislation is intended to protect Ohio consumers from potential fraud. The bill also gives local governments the authority to allow or (opt-in) to having sweepstakes operations within their jurisdictions; as well as the ability to levy and collect fees on these establishments.
Senator Schiavoni worked alongside Attorney General Mike DeWine and the Ohio Casino Control Commission in putting this bill together.
“Regulating internet cafés is a sensible thing to do,” said Attorney General Mike DeWine. “By imposing common-sense regulations we can ensure that consumers are not taken advantage of and that the law is consistent statewide.”
The regulations in this legislation, however, were not created to hinder the viability of sweepstake businesses. There are no restrictive limits placed on cash prizes, and it does not cap the amount of licenses available to potential operators.
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