Petition drive on sweepstakes law falls short
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS
A group that wants to overturn a new state law restricting sweepstakes parlors has fallen short in its initial attempt to place the issue before voters in November 2014.
The Committee to Protect Ohio Jobs needs another 71,000-plus valid signatures on petitions to quality for the ballot, after they fell short of the 231,000 or so
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Secretary of State Jon Husted certified 160,008 valid signatures from petitions submitted earlier this month. The group turned in more than 433,000 signatures, but county elections boards tossed upward of 60 percent as invalid.
Circulators have 10 additional days to gather more names. They must turn in additional petitions by Oct. 3.
The Committee to Protect Ohio Jobs wants to overturn House Bill 7, which banned cash payouts, capped prize values at $10 and required increased registration and oversight of sweepstakes parlors.
Proponents say the law changes are needed because sweepstakes parlors are skirting state law and constitutional provisions to offer unregulated gambling, with the storefronts often becoming havens for money laundering and other illegal activities.
But cafe owners say their businesses are operating legally, selling products (often phone cards) or services (often Internet access) to customers. They launched the referendum effort to overturn House Bill 7, and they want lawmakers to change state law to allow them to stay in business.
The law changes are on hold, pending the outcome of the petition effort. If backers are successful, the law would be delayed until after the next year’s general election. If they fall short again, the new law likely would take effect next month.