Internet Cafe's Hours Expanded as Part of 'Experiment'

Twinsburg's only internet gaming cafe now has permission to operate on longer hours, but only for a while.

Tuesday night city council allowed the extension of operating hours for Game On Business & Sweepstakes Center at 9630 Ravenna Rd. as part of an "experiment," according to Law Director David Maistros.

Until Aug. 31, the internet gaming cafe can now open at 9 a.m. and close at 2 a.m. When the city originally mandated they could operate between the hours of 10 a.m. and 11 p.m.

But Game On's owner, Nelson Barmen, believes those hours hurt his business.

“Our biggest problem since we opened in September is that we close at 11," Barmen said. "All of our competition is open later. We would appreciate getting an extension so we can keep up with our competition.”

Barmen said his business typically has an older clientele and has a variety of sweepstakes games such as computer card games and slot machines.

Maistros said he asked police if there were any problems at the gaming center, which he said there were not. That's when he decided it could be a good way to test how the later hours would work.

“This is temporary to see how this time change will work out until Aug. 31,” Councilman Gary Sorace said. “This is bascially an experiment to see how this works.”

In January 2011 to operate in the city, only if they followed specific requirements set by the city.