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Woman planning Internet cafe awaits decision on legality
By jeanne starmack
struthers
A woman who wants to open an Internet cafe that would feature sweepstakes gaming says that’s not the same as gambling.
Pam Dibble, a Struthers resident, spoke to city council at its caucus Wednesday.
Mayor Terry Stocker, who has written a letter to the Ohio attorney general to get an opinion on whether the cafe would be legal, said the city will do more research on whether the establishment can open.
“The city of Struthers has an ordinance regarding games of chance and games of skill. Games of skill are permitted by obtaining a permit from the safety-service director. My question is: Are these games of chance or games of skill?” Stocker asks in his letter, dated Sept. 16.
Dibble, who lives on Sexton Street, told The Vindicator after the meeting that customers at the cafe would buy Internet time to play in sweepstakes games at terminals.
She said there is a predetermined number of prizes in the sweepstakes.
“You get an Internet card, and you play games,” she said. She likened the practice to McDonald’s Monopoly sweepstakes game.
Dibble did not want to say where she intends to open the cafe. She said she would open only one.
Councilman Dan Yemma said during council’s regular meeting that he believes the city’s law director stated “very clearly that this is gambling, and our ordinances don’t allow it.”
“I’ll conduct myself under that premise,” he said.
Yemma said he believes the attorney general will simply tell Stocker to consult the law director.
Councilman Tony Fire said, however, that he understood the law director to say she’s waiting for a determination from the attorney general.
“Until then, stick with the ordinance,” he said.
Law Director Carol Clemente Wagner did not attend the meeting and was not available to comment.