Ohio Voters Approve Constitutional Change for Casino Plan
Promising thousands of new employment opportunities and hundreds of millions of tax dollars for Ohio, supporters of a $1 billion for Ohio, supporters of a $1 billion casino proposal, secured a significant victory on November 3rd, 2009 that has evaded four other casino plans in the past twenty years.
State voters approved Issue 3 with 1.66 million voters in favor of an amendment to the constitution or 53% of all cast and 1.48 million, or 47%, against, according to the data from the office of the Secretary of State.
The casino plan, which is supported by casino operator Penn National Gaming Incorporated, calls for constructing full-service casino facilities in Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland and Toledo. Voter turnout stood at forty percent with about 3.2 million of Ohio's 8 million registered voters going to the polls, according to Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's office.
Other proposals for legalizing gaming in Ohio have been soundly dismissed at the hands of state voters 4 times since 1990, the latest coming last year when sixty three percent of voters dismissed plans for a $600 million casino resort in Clinton County.
Since the last casino proposal went down the drain, the state of Ohio's jobless rate climbed at its highest point in more than twenty-five years and Governor Ted Strickland changed his long-standing opposition to expanded gaming when he proposed to install video slot machines at state racing tracks to solve the budget deficit.
Supporters of the four-casino plan pledge to produce thirty-four thousand jobs in Ohio and distribute a total of $651 million annually in tax revenue to the counties in Ohio based on a thirty-three percent tax rate.
Critics, notably TruthPac, an organization financially supported in large by horse racing and rival casino gaming interests, cried foul over what they called a casino monopoly that would affect nearby businesses and contribute to the rise of social problems in the state.
11/19/2009 23:24 PM
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