I have always thought this would be great.  These nay sayers  piss me off, have they not been to Indiana to see all of the development in these little towns?  All the Ohio dollars moving west anyway?  Step up and take a piece of the pie!  Cincinnati already has the restaurants, hotels, infrastructure and other attractions to make it a more well-rounded experience than Indiana.  This would also make the Banks happen much more quickly.

 

---

From today's Post at http://www.cincypost.com

 

Hoping to beat Northern Kentucky to the punch, Mayor Charlie Luken wants to begin the process that could bring riverfront casino gambling to Cincinnati.  Luken sent letters Tuesday to Ohio Gov. Bob Taft and Speaker of the House Larry Householder, asking them to support a statewide vote that would allow casinos in Ohio's major cities.

 

•  Despite the recession, casinos remain a growth industry.

•  Year-to-date through May, attendance at the three Indiana casinos catering to the Greater Cincinnati market was 13 percent ahead of the comparable period last year. And the riverboat casinos raked in 9 percent more money in 2003 than they did in 2002.

•  In total, the Argosy, Grand Victoria and Belterra casinos paid more than $215 million in gambling taxes in 2003, 30 percent more than in 2002, to the state of Indiana.

•  Local communities where the casinos are located get a portion of the revenues.

 

Cash-strapped Cincinnati is losing too much tax revenue generated by residents who drive to casino riverboats in nearby southeastern Indiana and spend money there, Luken said.  The situation will worsen if Covington persuades Kentucky lawmakers to permit casinos in its riverfront development efforts. 

 

"I've been watching the cash flow go about 35 miles west of here," the mayor said Tuesday. "Most of the license plates on the cars in the parking lots there are from our area.  "My big fear is one morning we're going to wake up and see a casino in Northern Kentucky, with a great view of the Cincinnati skyline."  Luken is seeking a ballot initiative that would give "home rule" to Ohio's largest cities on the issue of establishing a limited number of casinos within each jurisdiction.

 

All you have to do is take the entire Ohio Legislature on a field trip to Lawrenceburg, Indiana and show them the parking garage filled with Ohio license plates!

 

They should put a riverboat casino on the eastside of Cincinnati around New Richmond......you'd get tons of people from Cincy and Columbus!

I hate it when people use gambling as a "moral" issue. OK, so there are a lot of voters in Ohio who don't like to gamble, but that doesn't mean the rest of us shouldn't be allowed to! The proof that lots of Ohioans like to gamble can be found in the parking lots of Rising Sun, Indiana and Windsor, Ontario.

 

Why does such a conservative state like Indiana allow gambling? How did they convince the voters to approve of it?

I'm totally opposed to gambling, aside from small stakes charity stuff like bingo in the parish hall.

^ Why? Oh, I guess you bought into the scare tactics of what would become of the Indiana river towns (like the stuff that never came to fruition)?

 

Have you been to Lawrenceburg lately? It's downtown hasn't ever been in better shape. Same with Rising Sun and Vevay. In fact, there's probably going to be a bridge built connecting Vevay and Sparta (KY Speedway). There's already been extra exits built off of I-71 to accomodate traffic and development.

 

Oh, and crime stats are the same or less.

 

Actually, I'm more opposed to gambling in a church than I am opposed to gambling in a private entity. If it's okay to gamble in God's house, then why isn't it okay to gamble in a riverboat casino? I'd love for you to explain that to me.

Gambling is a vice, its addictive, and its tied to organized crime. What happens in a parish hall doesnt happen24/7, like a casino And its not for profit.

 

Heck, if we are going to legalize gambling lets legalize prostitution too. I'm sure we could generate alot of tax revenue from bordello liscenses and a sales tax.

Well, I would legalize and license prostitutes...so you're preaching to the choir.

 

Pornography is addictive and a vice. So is eating sweets. So is alcohol. Your argument there falls on deaf ears.

 

The modern Mafia is a bunch of scattered, incoherent groups of idiots. Have their been Mafia problems in SE Indiana? Have their even been more than negliglible crimes in the area? If you can point me to some facts I'd like to know.

 

Your argument sounds more like an emotional plea.

 

Catholic bingo halls and gambling aren't for profit? Are you kidding me?? The Catholic Church is the largest (non-profit by name only) business in the world.

Well, whatever, I find it tawdry and a vice, and, yes, its a personal opinion. Probably one shared by alot of folks in this state as casino gambling has been defeated here repeatedly.

I say...go for it. If people are stupid enough to gamble their money away, then so be it.

Im all for it. Except i think the city itself should decide what it wants. Some plans were for all these big Cleveland casinos and i doubt the city wants that. theres been proposals for something like greektown in detroit.

 

btw not to sound ignorant but what is a parish hall?

Casinos are a growth industry that grows at the expense of the local population, then ships most of the profits out of town. I've seen the economic impact of the big casinos in Michigan and it's the reverse of what we would should really be looking for. That said, in this area we are essentially competing with other states so we may as well capture some tax dollars for the city if people are gambling away their money already.

^ Agreed, kendall. Trust me, I believe that gambling isn't the greatest thing in the world and Jeff is right that there is a large protion of the population that is totally against it. I think we should at least look into it. It seems pretty popular with Cincinnatians, I know...I don't know about Clevelanders, but I would expect it to be about the same.

^ Agreed' date=' kendall. Trust me, I believe that gambling isn't the greatest thing in the world and Jeff is right that there is a large protion of the population that is totally against it. I think we should at least look into it. It seems pretty popular with Cincinnatians, I know...I don't know about Clevelanders, but I would expect it to be about the same.[/quote']

 

It may well be popular just becuase you have to take a roadie to get to the casinos. I don't think it would be as popular if you could walk to a casino after work.

 

If Ohio was ahead of the curve and started adding casinos back when Vegas and Atlantic City were the only ones (that ended in the early 90s?), then we could have some destinations.

However we stand today with casinos in Indiana, Michigan, and West Virginia (and Pa?). Why stay home and gamble when you can go get away from the daily grind (and trappings of home) to do so and feel like it's an event.

 

 

P.S. I don't gamble (though I've been tempted to go play the Powerball game recently) and I'm morally ambivilent, at best, about having it in Ohio (or anywhere else for that matter).

"Well, whatever, I find it tawdry and a vice, and, yes, its a personal opinion. Probably one shared by alot of folks in this state as casino gambling has been defeated here repeatedly."

 

First - who under the age of 60 uses the word "tawdry"? Dagnabbit, whippersnappers - talk about a throwback!

 

Second - beer is a vice. Beer can be addictive. Beer also happens to be listed in your profile as one of your main interests. Selective morality's a b!tch, ain't it?

 

Third - your 'slippery slope/' mentality of "why not legalize EVERYTHING, aka the seventh seal of the apocalypse will be broken!!!" is the usual fearmongering response from someone who can't admit they might not be right. Next thing you know, those d@mned queers are gonna claim they deserve rights that heteros have! Run for the hills!

 

zaceman, a parish hall is a building separate from a church that's used by the church for community activities, bingo, etc.

 

My take? The Catholic church knows that if casinos open in Ohio, their bingo gravy-train that keeps their schools open will face stiff competition. I've never set foot in a casino and most likely will never do so, but I find it abhorrent that they are the primary opponents of casinos under the guise of "morality". If only they could expend the same energy resolving the molestation cases, and caring for the poor...

 

However we stand today with casinos in Indiana' date=' Michigan, and West Virginia (and Pa?). Why stay home and gamble when you can go get away from the daily grind (and trappings of home) to do so and feel like it's an event. [/quote']

 

So basically you're saying that Ohio is surrounded by millions of people in PA, MI, ON, IN, who all are looking to leave home to gamble? I say WELCOME TO OHIO!!!

 

However we stand today with casinos in Indiana' date=' Michigan, and West Virginia (and Pa?). Why stay home and gamble when you can go get away from the daily grind (and trappings of home) to do so and feel like it's an event. [/quote']

 

So basically you're saying that Ohio is surrounded by millions of people in PA, MI, ON, IN, who all are looking to leave home to gamble? I say WELCOME TO OHIO!!!

 

Are there millions of people would want to gamble? Does anyone have the numbers that the Indiana, Windsor, and West Virginia casinos are drawing?

Indiana casinos (OH River) generally have 300,000-500,000 or so visitors per months (for each of the three casinos). Total revenues extend into the low billions.

 

However we stand today with casinos in Indiana' date=' Michigan, and West Virginia (and Pa?). Why stay home and gamble when you can go get away from the daily grind (and trappings of home) to do so and feel like it's an event. [/quote']

 

So basically you're saying that Ohio is surrounded by millions of people in PA, MI, ON, IN, who all are looking to leave home to gamble? I say WELCOME TO OHIO!!!

 

Are there millions of people would want to gamble? Does anyone have the numbers that the Indiana, Windsor, and West Virginia casinos are drawing?

 

Ok, so I worded it a little weird....I didn't mean to say all of the millions of people in surrounding states/provinces wanted to gamble, just meant that we have some large populations by us, and according to your logic, they don't want to gamble in their home state/province, so Ohio would be a convenient alternative.

Wouldn't this kill the commuter rail thats proposed to Lawrenceburg?

Doubtful, because that line is supposed to eventually become a high-speed line that extends all the way to Chicago.

Tho I don't support casino gambling this could be an excellent revenue source. The "riverboats" at Buffington Harbor (a disused industrial port that belonged to US Steel) has been a real windfall for Gary, with the money going to infrastructure improvements in the city (like roads/curbs/sidewallks repairs).

 

If I recall that was the original concept here in Ohio, or the first proposal at legalized gambling. That the casinos be located in towns with serious economic problems, like Lorain or Steubenville or Youngstown, and that some sort of tax on the take be earmarked to go to those communitys. I seem to remember that the casino site in Lorain was going to be an abandoned shipyward, so the casino could have been tied to some sort of water-oriented recreation development.

From http://www.enquirer.com

By Dan Horn

Enquirer staff writer

 

Cincinnati politicians are once again dreaming big about a casino boat on the city's riverfront.  They envision a grand complex of restaurants, hotel rooms and Las Vegas-style games that will draw thousands downtown.  And they see riches flowing into the city with every spin of the Roulette wheel.

 

But when it comes to legal gambling in Ohio, big dreams rarely come true.  State politics and wary voters mean that any effort to bring a casino to Cincinnati - or to any other Ohio city - is a long shot.  "We know from the past that Ohioans are very reluctant to support any form of legalized gambling," said Eric Rademacher, director of the University of Cincinnati's Institute for Policy Research, which conducts the Ohio Poll. 

 

He said the odds have been stacked against pro-gambling forces for years, largely because of an ingrained, Midwest conservatism and a reluctance in Ohio's rural counties to support something many believe only benefits major cities.  Ohio voters have soundly rejected two casino initiatives in the past 14 years, each time with a 62 percent "No" vote.

 

 

From the 7/13/04 Cincinnati Post:

 

Shawnees eye land claim

Publication Date: 07-12-2004

Post staff report

 

Shawnee Indians don't really want to take over the swank suburb of Indian Hill, but they might try to claim it and other Hamilton County areas if the state of Ohio refuses to negotiate casino deals with the tribe, says a consultant to the Shawnee.  "If people don't take seriously what the tribe is trying to do, then a court claim for the land could be filed," Terry Casey of Columbus, a consultant to a Shawnee tribe in Oklahoma said Sunday.

 

"We don't have something typed up and ready to file in court Monday, but legal research has been done to support the tribe claims to the land and a substantive land claim could be filed."  Casey said research has called into question the legality of the Symmes Purchase of land in Hamilton County more than 200 years ago.  The land was previously occupied by the Shawnee.  The Shawnee are using the threat of trying to get that land back as leverage to operate casinos in Ohio, including the possibility of one in Cincinnati or some other part of Hamilton County.

 

More at http://www.cincypost.com

Urban Indian casinos. Yes, there is one.

 

The Potawatomi nation in Wisconsin did this. They secured some land in Milwaulkee, in the Menominee Valley (this abandoned industrial wasteland near downtown) and opened a big tee-pee shaped casino.

Potawatomi Bingo Casino

 

The tribe is in Oklahoma, but there is also a band in northern Wisconsin. For some reason they never did remove all the Indians from Wisconsin to w. of the Mississippi.

^ Yeah, I've seen signs for the Potawatomi casino when watching Reds-Brewers games.

Shawnee to visit proposed casino location in Ohio

Tribal leaders checking area

 

BOTKINS, Ohio - This western Ohio village will be getting a visit this week from the Eastern Shawnee Indian chief and tribal council from Oklahoma who want to inspect a proposed casino site.  Terry Casey, a Columbus consultant with National Capital 1, a development company representing the tribe, said the group will attend a Monday evening reception at Botkins High School.  They plan to perform a Tuesday sunrise ceremonial blessing at the casino site off Interstate 75.

 

Casey said tribe representatives also plan to attend a performance of the historical outdoor drama Blue Jacket near Xenia, which tells the story of a Shawnee chief.  They also will visit Lewistown, the ancestral home of the tribe, from which they were forced to march west in 1831 by the federal government.

 

More at http://www.dispatch.com

Picture of the "ceremony"

 

Marty Ellis, a member of the Council for the East Shawnee Tribe from Oklahoma, rides with an official flag of the tribe during a ceremony to welcome the tribe back to Botkins.

A county commissioner is eyeing the Flats for a casino:

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/3979330/detail.html

 

A county commissioner is eyeing the Flats for a casino:

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/3979330/detail.html

 

 

If you look at the poll on the page, 84% have voted for legalizing gambling in Ohio.  Could it be people like us are the only ones online?  Or are people finally realizing that casinos can help the local economy?

I dunno, I mean if it went to referendum it probably wouldn't pass with 84%.  I don't really put too much stock in those types of polls (especially when you can vote multiple times).  I think a referendum would probably pass statewide.

 

All I know is that the people of Ohio's cities have already voted with their feet and their wallets.

You definitely shouldn't trust an internet poll to mean anything at all.

If you look at the poll on the page, 84% have voted for legalizing gambling in Ohio.  Could it be people like us are the only ones online?  Or are people finally realizing that casinos can help the local economy?

 

 

Yea, our polls showed Kerry would win Ohio and look what happened there. Damn Ohio...damn it to hell! LOL

 

But anyway...my take on a Casino and gambling is this. Is it addictive? Yes. Is it a vice? Yes. Does it ruin marriages? Yes. Would I go? No. Do I support gambling in Ohio? Yes, as long as it's a free country and people want to spend their hard earned money on it, I support it. Because it is YOUR money and you have the right to spend it on whatever you want...even if it means blowing it at the Blackjack table. Just like beer or smoking...and it definately does LESS harm than the latter IMHO.

 

Everyone, everywhere gambles EVERY day. When you go out to the gas station and buy that $1 lottery ticket, that's gambling. When you bet on the Bengals with your friends, that's gambling. When your grandma goes down to the bingo hall on Tuesday nights, that's gambling. When you go to that Texas Hold "Em tournament on the weekend, that's gambling...and yes, all the "house of god's" gamble as well. So don't bring moralities or the "I don't believe in gambling" issue into this. I do it, you do it, the churches do it...we all do it. It's apart of our everyday culture and it will never go away.

Campbell wants casino

Mayor pledges to push for a statewide vote on gambling

Friday, December 10, 2004

Mike Tobin, Plain Dealer Reporter

 

Mayor Jane Campbell says one of her top priorities next year will be working to bring a casino to Cleveland.  "Cleveland cannot afford to see money leave town for that particular form of entertainment," she said at a City Hall news conference.  Campbell will spearhead an effort to get a statewide initiative on the November 2005 ballot.

 

It would amend the Ohio Constitution to give cities the right to vote on whether they would allow gambling within their borders.  A Campbell spokesman said later that the mayor's focus is on bringing one casino to the city but the effort could lead to more than one casino in Cleveland.  The mayor joins several business leaders and state politicians who have endorsed casino gambling as one solution to Ohio's economic woes.

 

Her endorsement Thursday, less than a year before she faces re-election, will help push the issue to the forefront.  Campbell spoke at a sometimes-raucous news conference where she laid out her "action plan" for 2005.  She faces a tough re-election bid in November and, with cheering Cabinet members surrounding her Thursday, her news conference at times seemed like a campaign kickoff rally.

 

More at http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/

Smart Woman

It's about time she started doing something right.

 

Wonder if she's pushing it now for the city or for her re-election?

You have a friend!  :D  From the 12/13/04 Cincinnati Post:

 

 

Luken: Let cities vote on gambling

From staff and wire reports

 

The mayors of Cleveland and Cincinnati are working together to push a November 2005 ballot issue that would allow individual cities to decide whether to legalize gambling.  Ohio voters have twice rejected casino gambling referendums.  The key to the latest proposal is to let voters allow a city to make the call, rather than a strict up-or-down vote to legalize gambling in Ohio. 

 

"I think it's likely that in November 2005 Ohio voters will be asked to approve some kind of casino measure," Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken said Sunday.  Luken said it would be a tough sell in the rural parts of the state and with Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, who opposes the issue.  That's why the mayors hope if the focus is just on cities, voters would be more willing to pass a measure.

 

Full story at http://www.cincypost.com/2004/12/13/casin121304.html

 

somebody call up dennis archer!

The Shawnee, though having no historical ties to the area, are eyeing Cleveland.  From WKYC-3 TV, 12/14/04:

 

Will Indian tribe bring gambling to Cleveland?

Reported by Tom Beres

 

CLEVELAND -- Could an Indian tribe improve Cleveland's odds of getting casino gambling? Discussions involving two tribes are now taking place. “We've talked to a number of key people in Cleveland,” Shawnee Tribe consultant Terry Casey says. “There are a number of ways we could do something that would be beneficial to Cleveland and northeast Ohio.”

 

Casey is working for the Shawnee tribe. Maps show Cleveland's a good distance from Shawnee villages that were in Ohio before the tribe's land was taken and they were force-marched to Oklahoma where they are now.

So what's the Cleveland connection? “There is certainly history of the Shawnees and other Indian tribe in the area,” Casey says. “The Greenville treaty in 1795 very specifically gave Indian tribes rights on the west bank of the Cuyahoga River.”

 

The Shawnee already have land for two possible casinos and resorts along I-75. One may be in Botkins between Toledo and Dayton and one in Monroe between Dayton and Cincinnati. Plans for a quarter billion dollar facility on their web site offer the same sales pitch both there and here in Cleveland -- keeping Ohioans and tax dollars home.

 

Full story at http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_fullstory.asp?id=27674

 

hold on there. i think jane is for casino in the singular not the plural. i think she wants to tie one to a renovated convention center. at least thats what i get from all the articles ive read lately, yours included and others. i think its the county that wants to line the east bank flats with multiple casinos or mentioned it not the mayor. my opinion on that is that one big nice one is a very good idea, but more than one is not good.

Mayor Campbell’s push for casino continues

From WKYC-TV 3 reports

December 22, 2004

 

CLEVELAND -- Mayor Jane Campbell continues to work on getting greater Cleveland’s state lawmakers on board with her push for a downtown casino.  The mayor hopes to have Ohio voters choose whether cities can vote to have casinos. She wants it on the ballot next November.

 

She huddled with most of Cuyahoga County’s lawmakers. Most claim their constituents like the idea and hope the mayor can bring rival casino developers and racetrack owners together. “I just campaigned across Ohio … I think I can tell you that there’s strong public support,” said State Senator Eric Fingerhut.

 

I've heard from my constituents when I've talked door to door that we need casino gambling,” said State Rep. Dale Miller. “The feedback I've been getting is very positive,” State Rep. Annie Key added.

 

More at http://www.wkyc.com/news/

I personally have no qualms with casino gambling coming to Ohio, however I do not want to see it in Columbus. Columbus just isn't a city where casino resorts would fit in the urban landscape. The ONLY place I might want to see slot machines are in the horse racing tracks on the outskirts of the city like at Scioto Downs and Beulah Park. Casinos in Columbus would probably only do as much as casinos have done in Detroit. They do pump additional funds to the city, however the casinos in downtown Detroit just seem extremely out of place and really haven't added much to the downtown area, except for maybe the Greektown strip. Casinos in CityCenter, as this article suggests, would be an attrocity, as far as I'm concerned. Casino gambling would fit much better on riverboats in Cincinnati or along the lakefront in Cleveland.

 

 

Columbus leaders snubbing overtures for local casinos

By Lee Leonard and Jon Craig

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Lazarus has left Downtown, Columbus City Center is on the ropes, and the Blue Jackets are on a forced vacation.  But several ideas for closing the Downtown entertainment gap are floating about — casino gambling, for instance.  As close as Cleveland, the notion has significant support. Mayor Jane L. Campbell recently came out in favor of casinos as a possible way of rescuing her city from financial ruin.  And with legalized gambling in Canada and states surrounding Ohio, casino proponents have set their sights on at least five locations in the Buckeye State, including slot machines at horse tracks and American Indian-run resorts.

 

Terry L. Casey, a Columbus consultant who represents an Eastern Shawnee tribe from Oklahoma, said Campbell’s overture plus Pennsylvania’s approval last year of slot machines at racetracks, resorts and urban centers give impetus to Ohio casinos.  "They’re saying to us, ‘You’re surrounded, and we’re going to suck the money right out of you,’ ’’ he said. "From our standpoint, something in this region is possible. There’s a lot of Shawnee history along the Scioto River. 

 

"We looked at City Center even before Lazarus went out of business,’’ he said. "We’ve looked at other options in and around Downtown.’’  But don’t hold your breath. The reception among Columbus leaders has been as cool as most Januaries.

 

More at http://www.dispatch.com

I have no issue with slots at the racetracks but Columbus is the only city in Ohio I can think of that really doesn't need the casinos (and I'm for casinos in most cities).  It's fine without them.

columbus would never allow casinos. it's too politically conservative, culturally middle class and too healthy both city and job-wise, in other words it's just not a gambling friendly area. they do not in any way "need" casino entertainment or sin tax money either, but that is another story.

 

a lot of the rest of the state is also not gambling friendly, which is why jane campbell's casino vision is just as much of a pipe dream as alan spitzer's was. was nothing learned from spitzer's efforts? it just will not be allowed by the state legislators or the voters.

 

if it ever was allowed i think one and only one super nice grand casino in cleveland tied to a renovated convention center would be fine in that region. lining the ohio river and lake erie with hick gambling boats would be disaster. even in the unlikely scenario that it is allowed i still i can't see a casino in columbus. why?

 

NEO should say screw you state and issue bids for casino companies looking to invest and develop.  What better way to garner some attention and attract some more dollars than have a little crisis going on.

yeah, thats what we need downtown....another place for people to come and complain that there isn't enough parking in downtown columbus, the wankers

 

 

kinda funny how people say they're against gambling in ohio when the lottery sells a zillion tickets every time. plus things like the racehorse tracks.

Sounds like a good option to me. It doesn't make sense for segments of the Ohio population to vote on placing casinos where it wouldn't even affect them. Let's see what becomes of this.

 

 

2 mayors want their residents to have final say on casinos

By Joe Milicia

ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

CLEVELAND — Casino gambling has failed twice at the polls in Ohio since 1990, but at least two big-city mayors are betting that the next time will be different.  Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell and Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken want voters to amend the Ohio Constitution to allow the residents of each city — instead of all Ohioans — to decide whether to have casinos.  Luken acknowledges that the odds of getting "home rule’’ on gambling are long.  "I just want the opportunity to allow people in southwestern Ohio to be able to decide for themselves if they want to do this,’’ he said.

 

It’s a new spin on the casino issue in Ohio.  Campbell and other proponents haven’t written Ohio’s proposal yet, but the plan is to allow cities to vote on casinos if it passes.  The option could be limited to big cities.

 

More at http://www.dispatch.com

interesting. its certainly the only way it would ever work, but in the end this tactic won't work either.

 

ohio as a whole will vote down any option for big cities to choose casino gambling. so the whole thing just is a waste of time. 

I agree. I get tired of all these circumnagivations around the basic, statewide problems of an unconstitutional school funding situation, policies that promote exurban development and wealth dispersal away from older cities, etc. Casinos won't solve them. It's an escapist "solution" for a politician who is unwilling (or unable) to do the heavy political lifting.

 

Either our elected officials we send to Columbus will solve these problems, or they won't and we'll find someone else who will. Or, if neither occurs, Ohio's national standing will continue to slide. Casinos won't stop that from happening.

 

KJP

We now have six threads on general casino talk.  I'm combining them all into one mega-"Ohio casino discussion" thread for discussion about casino gaming in general.

 

For site specific plans (i.e. Monroe, where there are already ideas being kicked around and a land parcel), you can put those in Projects & Construction.

 

Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro weighs in (negatively), from the 3/3/05 Enquirer:

 

 

Petro advises Ohio towns about Indian casino deals

By Jim Siegel

Enquirer Columbus Bureau

 

COLUMBUS - Saying it could be 20 years before Shawnee Indians can build a casino in Ohio, state Attorney General Jim Petro cautioned local governments against making land deals with the tribe.  The Eastern Shawnee have signed land-purchasing agreements near four Ohio towns, including Monroe, which straddles Butler and Warren counties.

 

Petro, the state's lawyer and an outspoken opponent of expanded gambling in Ohio, said at a news conference that while the land deals and financial arrangements are legal, no one should think this is going to happen anytime soon.  "I caution local governments from getting too involved in contracting with those who say, 'We'd like to get the first franchise opportunity,' " he said.  "It's a complicated process and a long road. I don't think we're going to see it occur in the near future."

 

Petro acknowledged that if voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing casino gambling - a proposal that some legislators and city mayors, including Cincinnati's Charlie Luken, are pushing for this November - tribes could start casinos much sooner.  The tribe can conduct casino gambling only if it is legal in some other part of the state, Petro said.  Currently, Ohio law allows only bingo, horse racing and the lottery.

 

Full story at http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050303/NEWS01/503030344/1056/news01