Ohio’s big gambling aims to shutdown small town competition.    Posted 4/28/13 Leader: Ohio Senate ready to outlaw Internet cafes

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — At the urging of some of the state's top law enforcers, the once reticent Ohio Senate has decided to move forward with a ban on Internet cafes they now believe are conducting illegal gambling. Republican Senate President Keith Faber said Wednesday that a majority of his caucus now agrees the cafes are involved in criminal activities, including illegal gambling, and should be outlawed. Faber introduced an emergency bill late Tuesday immediately halting any new Internet cafes and requiring operators of current ones to file new, more thorough affidavits with the state that include background information on the facilities' true owners. "Hopefully, we can get this done in a way that we don't have to worry about this again," Faber said. "But history has proven that this is something where we have to stay vigilant. These folks who figure out a way to operate in this area have a willingness to bend the law." http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/04/ohio_casinos_fund_effort_to_wi.html Ohioans Against Illegal Gambling recently sent out postcards asking voters to pressure key senators into approving a regulatory bill so tough it would likely put most of the state's 800 or so cafes out of business. House Bill 7 breezed through that chamber earlier this year, but Senate leaders indicate they may deliberate into next year. Carlo LoParo, the group's spokesman……….LoParo said the group receives money from the owners of Ohio's four casinos and the state's seven horse tracks, which have or plan to install video-lottery terminals, or slot machines.