Ohio AG sets sights on internet cafes: wdtn.com
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and others from his office tried their hand at a little Internet gaming Friday, but DeWine says the Internet cafes are the ones really pressing their luck.
"It's kind of the Wild West right now in the state of Ohio for gambling," DeWine says.
2 NEWS went along as DeWine got an inside look at how the Internet sweepstakes cafes work.
Basically you buy long distance time on a phone card and then you can use the points on that card to play various slot-machine-type games on computers.
Afterward you can redeem your points for cash.
DeWine says there's only one problem.
"You go into one of these places and have no clue what they're paying back," DeWine says.
DeWine says unlike the casinos about to open in Ohio, which must pay out a certain percentage on slot machines, the cafes don't have that requirement.
So he wants to regulate them, and surprisingly, when 2 NEWS asked the owner of Lucky's Internet Cafe about it, he agreed.
"This industry needs to be regulated," says Robert Dabish. "It needs to let everybody know when they come in they're buying a legitimate product."
He says the phone cards he sells are among the best around. But he wouldn't tell us the percentage the sweepstakes pay out.
Although one customer, who didn't want to be identified but says she plays daily for two hours, seemed to think they were fair.
" I love it here," Nancy says. "I don't lose money. It's enjoyable."
DeWine worries the cafes are taking away from churches and other non-profit organizations who offer regulated gambling like Bingo to raise money.
"It's unfair competition to them and we're seeing the amount of money going to charities go down as a direct result from this type of activity," DeWine says.
After playing for a few minutes, the people from the Attorney General's Office who started with $5 left with $3.
The owner says he welcomed the visit and that he has nothing to hide.
A bill has been introduced in the Ohio House that would regulate the Internet Cafes.
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