The Ohio House recently passed legislation that would require internet cafes and similarly unregulated gaming storefronts to register with the state in order to facilitate the creation of an inventory of existing enterprises.

The inventory legislation comes ahead of a proposed moratorium on internet cafes and sweepstakes parlors in the state.

"We had some concerns that new places might just pop up anyway after the moratorium is effective," explained State Senator Larry Obhof, the Medina County Republican who is sponsoring the bill, as quoted by Dix Newspapers.

According to Obhof, the list will help ensure inventory compliance by requiring owners to tell authorities "which places ... were already operating when the moratorium went into effect so that we know which ones were around and which ones weren't."

WFMJ-TV notes that the impetus for the bill came from the fact that the state's four casinos and seven racetracks are regulated by the state, but internet cafes are not.