72-10 Moratorium on Sweepstakes Gaming Cafes

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all over the greater Cleveland area and due to the negative impact on surrounding neighborhoods, this moratorium is necessary to protect those neighborhoods until further review of criminal and zoning codes can be conducted. Now Therefore, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAKEWOOD, OHIO Section 1. Council hereby approves a moratorium of the granting of Occupancy Permits or any other permit to business owners who intend to operate an Internet Cafe, Sweepstakes Gaming Cafe, Computer Game Center Business or to any business devoting any floor area to this type of business, for a temporary period of time while it undertakes a review and/or study of the applicable criminal codes and the Lakewood Zoning Code. Section 2. Internet Cafe or Sweepstakes Gaming Cafe or Computer Game Center Business shall be defined, for purposes of this Ordinance, as any business that devotes any floor area to internet based sweepstakes marketing or retailing where a customer purchases apre-paid phone card or internet access time and receives "free entries" in sweepstakes games with the purchase, thereby gaining an opportunity to win a prize. Section 3. No Occupancy Permits or any other permits shall be granted to a business owner who intends to open or devote any floor area of the business to an Internet Cafe, Sweepstakes Gaming. Cafe, or Computer Game Center Business for the period of this moratorium. No valid existing business in the City of Lakewood can add any devices to the business which would establish an Internet Cafe or Sweepstakes Gaming Cafe or Computer Game Center within the existing business for the duration of the moratorium. Section 4. The moratorium shall be in effect for a period of six (6) months or until changes are enacted to amend the Codified Ordinances of the City of Lakewood to address these issues or until Council approves legislation explicitly revoking this moratorium. Section 5. That this ordinance is hereby declared to bean emergency measure necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, property, health, safety and welfare in the City and for the usual daily operation of the City for the reasons set forth and defined in the preamble to this ordinance, and provided it receives the affirmative vote of at least five (5) of its members elected to Council, this ordinance shall take effect and be in force immediately upon its adoption by the Council and approval by the Mayor otherwise, it shall take effect and be in force after the earliest period allowed by law.. Section 6. It is found and determined that all formal actions of this Council concerning and relating to the passage of this ordinance were adopted in an open meeting of this Council, arid that all such deliberations of this Council 2 3733827v3