MIAMISBURG -- City Council voted Tuesday night to joincommunities throughout Ohio in regulating the spread of Internetsweepstakes cafes.
The Miamisburg City Council unanimously approved new zoningregulations that set standards for design, parking and limits onwhere the new businesses can locate in the city, keeping them mostlynear Interstate 75.
Within a month, Miamisburg is expected to add business licensingrequirements for the cafes, said Chris Fine, the city's actingdevelopment director.
Customers play electronic games, some resembling slot machines,typically with prepaid phone cards.
"In northeastern Ohio, it's kind of a booming business," saidChristy Prince, a lawyer with Kegler, Brown, Hill & Ritter, aColumbus law firm that is tracking trends in Ohio gambling laws.
According to Fine, Internet cafes are operating in Jeffersonvilleand Harrison Twp.
Springboro, Trotwood and West Carrollton are among othercommunities that are mulling or approving similar regulations inanticipation of operators coming to their communities.
Miamisburg began studying the issue in November.
While doing research and developing regulations, Miamisburg andarea governments throughout Ohio set moratoriums to temporarily barthe cafes from their jurisdictions.
In March, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine called for new statelaw regulating Internet sweepstakes cafes and skill gaming centersthrough the new Ohio Casino Control Commission.
House Bill 195 was introduced on April 12 and assigned to thestate government and elections committee. No hearings have beenheld, according to legislative records.
Later this month, the Springboro City Council is expected toapprove similar regulations for Internet cafes.
That body also is expected to permit sexually oriented businesses-- previously excluded from the city under existing code -- indesignated zones.
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