May 9, 200619 yr kendal, It is true that this proposal is only allowing 'slot parlors'....sounds pretty stupid at first glance. However, I believe that one thing would lead to another and the whole snowball effect would hold true. I think once the state/county/city taste the financial fruits of this 'slot parlor' I dont think they would stop there. I believe they would continue and allow the powers of the gaming industry to take the road to a full blown casino. Not to mention the thought of a hotel/casino/slot parlor/entertainment destination forming on the Broadway Commons site is very exciting to me. I would love to see this area blossom into something special....hopefully a casino would do just that.
May 9, 200619 yr Isn't there something on the ballot that will call for full blown casinos in 2010?...that might have been something that was a rumor but is there any validity to this?
May 9, 200619 yr The spot for slots? Council, company need political deal, state vote for casino BY DAN KLEPAL AND JON CRAIG | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITERS There's a company ready to build a gambling house and hotel, and a site in downtown Cincinnati is already selected. Now the only things standing in the way of a slot machine parlor at Broadway Commons are 323,000 signatures, a political compromise and approval of state voters - none of which is a sure bet. Queen City Gaming Entertainment Inc., a newly formed corporation owned by Cincinnati mortgage banker Louis Beck, has an option to buy the 20-acre Broadway Commons site if voters this fall change the state constitution to make casinos legal for the first time. Gerald Austin, a lobbyist for Queen City Gaming, will drop off 1,000 signatures and proposed ballot language at the Ohio Attorney General's Office as early as today. Once the language is approved by the attorney general and the signatures verified by the secretary of state, backers will have a much larger job: collecting 323,000 signatures of registered voters statewide. Cincinnati's proposed amendment is in competition with one already filed by an organization called Learn and Earn, proposed by six of the state's horse track owners, Cleveland development company Forest City Enterprises Inc. and a Cleveland-area businessman, Jeff Jacobs. More at http://www.enquirer.com
May 9, 200619 yr nope 1,000 jobs doesn't sound too bad...also it does sound like there is another vote planned in 2010 if this is passed....This next vote would be for full blown casinos...i guess that would mean that this is the "trial run"?
May 9, 200619 yr I know there would be an option to expand to a full casino by a countywide vote in 2010 (remember when that year sounded way off in the future?), but with Argosy expanding, a slot parlor isn't going to be a huge draw. Setting aside the question of whether any casino downtown is a good idea, if we're going to have gambling and its attendant problems, we may as well do it right.
May 10, 200619 yr We cannot view this in a vacuum. The fact is that our money is now going to Indiana so we are seeing the drain that opponents speak of while getting no reward. Whatever they start with (slots) is fine as we will keep some of the money currently going out of state in the city. It's amazing that local officials fell asleep on this one and allowed Cleveland to be in line for two casinos while allowing the Argosy to influence the sponsor to leave us out. Despite the naysayers I do not think anyone wants to turn downtown into a major gambling destination - this is simply one parlor and one additional draw and money generator for the city. I do find it interesting reading the negative comments from Indiana people, but I notice they have not closed any of their casinos. Also, is Stan Eichelbaum on Argosy's payroll?
May 10, 200619 yr <i>It's still not clear if Cincy will have seperate ballot or will join the Cleveland version. I would like to see them combined. Otherwise we will have a Cincy vs Cleveland battle on our hands</i> <b>Casino plan rushed into play 'Option to buy' deal helped revive idea that council had ignored</b> BY DAN KLEPAL AND JON CRAIG | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITERS Leslie Ghiz had never heard of Louis Beck as she started her day Thursday. By the end of that night, the Cincinnati council member had spent more than eight hours on the phone with state legislators, her fellow council members and Beck, a local mortgage banker who was interested in building a slot machine parlor at Broadway Commons near Hamilton County's jail. In those eight hours of frantic conversation, Ghiz, Beck and other council members devised a plan to deal the city and county back into a proposition that could allow slot machines in Ohio - and at Broadway Commons - for the first time. It's a deal that, if approved in a statewide referendum this fall, could reap tens of millions of dollars annually for both governments. A proposal to allow slot machine parlors at seven race tracks and three stand-alone locations - two in Cleveland and one in Cincinnati - had been discussed for months. But a perceived lack of interest by Cincinnati's business and political leaders, and some lobbying on behalf of the owners of Argosy Casino in Indiana, led to Cincinnati being written out of the proposed constitutional amendment. Full article at http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060510/NEWS01/605100339/1056
May 10, 200619 yr <i>A lot interesting things happeining lately. Hopefully, there will be more than just talk. </i> <b>Lots of ideas for this spot But Broadway Commons remains humble parking site</b> BY MARLA MATZER ROSE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER Broadway Commons has become the most high-profile parking lot in Cincinnati in the last few days. But this is not the site's first moment of fame. Several uses have been proposed for the site over the last decade, including most notably as a venue for a Reds ballpark. (Hamilton County voters ultimately decided the Reds stadium would be built on the riverfront.) Since the vote to pick a stadium site, an office complex and site for a multistore big-box retail development have also been floated as ideas for the sprawling 20-acre lot on the northeast edge of downtown. Neither has been built. The lot is owned by Cincinnati-based Parking Company of America. The company, which owns property in more than a dozen cities, including airport parking lots in Albuquerque, Cleveland and Miami, is privately owned by the Chavez family, which did not return calls seeking comment. Full story at http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060510/NEWS01/605100338/1056
May 10, 200619 yr <i>This is getting good, it could become a battle royal between Cincy/Columbus vs those punks from Cleveland. :-)</i> <b>Slot machine petition delivered</b> BY JON CRAIG | ENQUIRER COLUMBUS BUREAU COLUMBUS – A petition asking Ohio voters to legalize slot-machines in Broadway Commons, within a new 300-room hotel, was delivered to the state Attorney General’s office here this afternoon. Like three previously filed constitutional amendments, today’s calls for nearly 35,000 slot machines – or up to 3,500 apiece – at seven existing horse tracks, two new gambling sites in Cleveland as well as at a hotel at Broadway Street and Reading Road in Cincinnati. Earlier gambling proposals excluded Cincinnati. Rick Brunner, a Columbus elections law attorney, submitted the latest constitutional amendment, with more than 2,000 signatures attached – mostly from Hamilton County – to the Attorney General’s office for approval. All of the petitions for a Nov. 7 vote face many legal and financial obstacles – as well as organized opposition. Ohio law requires at least 1,000 valid signatures for a statewide ballot initiative. Once ballot language is approved, and signatures verified, the next step is to collect 323,000 signatures of registered voters statewide by an Aug. 9 deadline. More at http://www.enquirer.com
May 11, 200619 yr There is the argument out there that where casinos locate you dont see a lot of investment/activity, in the surrounding areas, as a result. However, I dont think that would be the case at Broadway Commons. First of all Lawerenceburg and Rising Sun are little towns with nothing there to begin with. Whereas Cincy already has a wide variety of entertainment options downtown. I could very well envision a casino, at BC, would draw people after Reds games and encourage those from the 'burbs to hang around downtown and make a nite of it. Not to mention Main St. is just a hop, skip, and a jump away. And there is a great mix of restaurants downtown along with some nice shopping. I feel that a casino downtown would have a more Las Vegas effect than a Rising Sun effect. This would be in the terms of spured development. Las Vegas has high-end shopping, entertainment (clubs, lounges), restaurants, and hotels. Obviously Cincy wouldnt be on that same scale since there would only be one casino not multiple. On another note: I heard that it was not only Indiana lobbyist opposed to a casino in downtown Cincy, but rather a national conglomerate of casinos that would not like Cincy to have a casino. I'm guessing a casino, with a prime location in downtown, would hurt casino business in Indiana, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Columbus, West Virginia, Cleveland, Detroit, etc. Cincy is one of the most centrally located cities in America, combined with a large inter-national airport, and world class entertainment, and a large, affluent metropolitan population. I guess that Cincy would be threatening to many industries should any varieties of major projects be thrown our way.
May 11, 200619 yr I heard that it was not only Indiana lobbyist opposed to a casino in downtown Cincy, but rather a national conglomerate of casinos that would not like Cincy to have a casino. I'm guessing a casino, with a prime location in downtown, would hurt casino business in Indiana, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Columbus, West Virginia, Cleveland, Detroit, etc. Why would the casino company care? Just wondering, I'm intrigued by this! On a non-Cincy note, does anyone have any news about Cleveland and casinos?
May 11, 200619 yr ^I would like to know what the Cleveland papers are saying too. What I find interesting is the Cincy ballot is exactly the same the Cleveland one. The Cincy version includes slots in DT Cleveland and all the various horsetracks PLUS Broadway Commons. That's the only difference. The power brokers really need to figure out how to combine these two issues. Good points, UncleRando Oh, the Hamilton Country Commissioners vetod a resolution in support of a casino in DT Cincy. Surprise, Heimlich and his gimp were the no votes.
May 12, 200619 yr From the 5/10/06 Dispatch: 2 racetracks at odds over slots Rival plans may mean loss for both at polls, some say Wednesday, May 10, 2006 James Nash THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The two Franklin County horseracing tracks support rival plans to expand gambling in Ohio, further clouding prospects for a November ballot initiative. Most of the state’s seven horse tracks, including Beulah Park in Grove City, favor a proposal that would place slot machines at the tracks and two locations in downtown Cleveland. But MTR Gaming Group Inc., the West Virginia company that owns Scioto Downs, favors a less-restrictive approach that would allow casino-style gambling in Cincinnati and, possibly, games such as roulette and blackjack at other locations. Backers of the slots-only proposal, known as "Learn & Earn," say it would raise about $900 million a year for college scholarships and economic development. But a group of Cincinnati developers, upset that they were excluded from "Learn & Earn," are touting the newer initiative. Some observers say the tangle of plans could complicate efforts to introduce slot machines to Ohio, which has more restrictive gambling laws than neighboring states. Full article at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/05/10/20060510-E1-01.html From Business First of Columbus: Columbus racetrack may join Cincinnati casino effort Cincinnati Business Courier - 4:02 PM EDT Tuesday A Columbus racetrack might throw in its lot with Cincinnati backers of an effort to get a casino downtown. Gerald Austin, a spokesman for Queen City Gaming Entertainment, said Scioto Downs "is considering our proposal and may be going in with us." Several groups are trying to get issues on the November ballot to bring slot machine gambling to Ohio. One group, the Learn and Earn campaign, put together ballot language that would bring the slots to seven racetracks, plus two downtown Cleveland sites. A downtown Cincinnati casino was dropped from Learn and Earn's proposal, and its local backers, angry at the rejection, are pursuing a ballot effort of their own. Queen City Gaming, formed by mortgage banker Louis Beck, has an option to buy Broadway Commons, once under consideration for a Cincinnati Reds ballpark, and build a casino there. The effort is backed by several members of Cincinnati City Council. According to Austin, Scioto Downs officials were hoping for gaming tables at their track, as well as slot machines, but that's not part of the Learn and Earn proposal. A Cincinnati-proposed amendment could include that. Full article at http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/05/08/daily21.html?from_rss=1
May 13, 200619 yr From the 5/13/06 Toledo Blade: Sides trade fire in Ohio casino war Gambling foes open countercampaign By JIM PROVANCE BLADE COLUMBUS BUREAU COLUMBUS - Casino War 2006 is officially under way. U.S. Sen. George Voinovich (R - Ohio), Attorney General Jim Petro, Auditor Betty Montgomery, and other opponents of expanded gambling in Ohio yesterday launched their countercampaign. They said they will use knowledge to fight what they estimate will be a $12 million to $15 million campaign by racetracks and casino operators to woo voters to approve slot machines now and open the door for casino-style table games later. "Do not be fooled," said Ms. Montgomery. "Learn and Earn's latest proposal, the one that seems to be the consensus proposal of differing gambling interests, is not an economic development tool. "None of the revenue goes to state coffers. None addresses Ohio's budget problems. Certainly, none will give tax reductions to the citizens of the state of Ohio." A coalition of Ohio's seven racetracks and Cleveland developers, Learn and Earn is circulating petitions for a Nov. 7 ballot issue. The proposal calls for up to 3,500 slot machines at each track plus two specific sites in downtown Cleveland. Cuyahoga County voters could decide later whether they want to add casino-style table games to the local mix. Full article at http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060513/NEWS24/605130355/-1/NEWS
May 15, 200619 yr Downtown casino plan would deliver more locally Cincinnati Business Courier - May 12, 2006 by Dan Monk To the drafters go the spoils. That's the golden rule governing combatants in Ohio's latest quest for an amendment to legalize casino gambling. Of the three proposals filed with the Ohio Attorney General's office so far, a Courier analysis shows the Tri-State fares best with the proposal floated by local businessman Louis Beck. In fact, each of the proposals offers clear advantages for their major backers. Beck's proposal, the only one that would permit a downtown Cincinnati casino, would deliver 10 percent more revenue to local governments than competing proposals floated by a coalition of Ohio horse-racing tracks and Penn National Gaming, parent company of Argosy Casino in Lawrenceburg. Beck introduced his proposal after downtown Cincinnati was squeezed out of the statewide casino initiative. The Penn National proposal would generate $50 million to $150 million more in revenue for gaming companies than would the other ballot issues, Courier analysis shows. The racing industry's proposal, backed by Cleveland-area business leaders, makes Cleveland the only town with an option to add gaming tables, such as roulette, poker and black jack. Full article at http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/05/15/tidbits1.html
May 15, 200619 yr Banker key to casino effort Beck's option on casino site critical to plan BY MARLA MATZER ROSE AND JAMES MCNAIR | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITERS Hotel developer, banker, close friend and business associate of Jerry Springer. Cincinnati native Louis Beck has played many roles. Now he might be facing his biggest challenge ever - trying to bring a casino to Cincinnati. So far, Beck, 60, has said little about his plans. He wouldn't consent to an interview, instead answering questions through a spokesman. He prefers to keep a low profile until he comes forth, probably later this week, with more details of his vision for the 20-acre parking lot at the northeast edge of downtown. Beck secured an option to buy the so-called Broadway Commons site in the event an Ohio ballot initiative that would allow a Cincinnati casino is successful this fall. The terms of Beck's deal with the Chavez family, owners of Cincinnati-based Parking Company of America, have not been disclosed. Company executives have not returned calls over the past week. The Chavezes asked $26 million when the lot was being considered as a site for the Reds ballpark in the late 1990s. Full story at http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060515/BIZ01/605150340
May 16, 200619 yr Will Cleveland deal on casino? Beck to ante up $2M if Cincinnati on ballot BY DAN KLEPAL, JON CRAIG AND MARLA MATZER ROSE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITERS Louis Beck, the man who wants to build a slot machine parlor and hotel downtown at Broadway Commons, is ready to gamble $2 million to ensure Cincinnati is dealt in as a potential site for gambling. Two gambling ballot initiatives are under consideration by the Ohio Attorney General's Office - Beck's (which would name Cincinnati as a site for a slots parlor), and one by a group of Cleveland business interests, called Learn and Earn (which would not allow a site in Cincinnati). Voters in November would have the final say on slot machines in Ohio if one, or more, of those initiatives is approved for a statewide referendum. Beck, a banker and hotelier, said Monday that he has offered to pay all expenses related to getting an initiative on the ballot if the Cleveland group embraces the idea of gambling in Cincinnati. Beck said a drive to collect signatures and related expenses would cost about $2 million. His group plans to collect 500,000 signatures, because some are sure to be disqualified. Full article at http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060516/BIZ01/605160325
May 17, 200619 yr Does anyone know what the name broadway commons comes from, because i know it's not a neighborhood?
May 17, 200619 yr ^ I always suspected it was a made-up name to make the 20 acre parking lot seem more attractive, but I may be wrong about that.
May 20, 200619 yr ^ I think Tarbell coined it when he was pushing the site for the new ballpark. But I might be wrong. From the 5/19/06 PD: Hotelier wants slots in Cincinnati, too Friday, May 19, 2006 Tom Breckenridge Plain Dealer Reporter Cleveland won't get casinos without Cincinnati. That's the warning from Louis Beck, a low-profile banker and hotelier who says he's ready to pour millions into a proposal that could potentially compete on the November ballot with a plan that could bring four casinos to Cuyahoga County but none for Cincinnati. Beck is leading a late-game drive of Cincinnati civic leaders who were angered when the Ohio Learn and Earn Committee cut Cincinnati out of a referendum that would bring slots parlors to Ohio's seven horse tracks and two sites in downtown Cleveland. Forest City Enterprises Inc. and businessman Jeff Jacobs own the downtown sites. Full article at http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1148027512227450.xml&coll=2
May 22, 200619 yr More gambling, more growth If gambling is approved, racetrack owners see expansion on the horizon Cincinnati Business Courier - May 19, 2006 by Dan MonkSenior Staff Reporter Jack Hanessian wants the total package. The boys in Lebanon are taking it slow. Cincinnati's two local horse racing tracks, River Downs and Lebanon Raceway, could get new leases on life thanks to Ohio's latest casino gambling initiative. Three constitutional amendments have been floated that would legalize slot parlors at Ohio's racetracks. Two of the proposals appear likely to make it to the ballot. If one of them passes, both tracks could be in for a massive expansion -- not to mention better racing. Hanessian, president and general manager of River Downs, predicts an investment of up to $200 million on the track's 150-acre property, including a 5,000-car parking garage and a possible eastward expansion of the track's three-story grandstand. Across Kellogg Avenue, Hanessian sees room for a new hotel on a 40-acre lot owned by River Downs. To the west, he'd like to convince the Riverbend amphitheater to build a more intimate, indoor concert facility -- catering to casino customers. Full article at http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/05/22/focus1.html
May 22, 200619 yr <b>Sheriff Supports Downtown Casino </b> First posted: 5/22/2006 9:14:06 AM Last updated: 5/22/2006 12:11:46 PM Hamilton County Sheriff Simon Leis has announced he supports plans for a Cincinnati casino. The Broadway Commons site for a proposed casino is right behind the Hamilton County Justice Center. Leis says a casino would not increase crime in the city. He also noted that the tax revenue from such a project would help build more jail space and in return keep criminals in prison that otherwise would be released early due to overcrowding. It was also revealed at the press conference that the building of a casino would create up to 1900 jobs in the city. Full story at http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/05/22/casino.html
May 22, 200619 yr I would rather see the money from a possible casino filtered into the neighborhood that it exists in (OTR). It would be a great way to have a steady flow of financing dollars for OTR projects!
May 23, 200619 yr A possible setback to casinos in Ohio: Okla. tribe's casino plans dealt setback U.S. Supreme Court's refusal to hear N.Y. case is bad news for Ohio efforts By Rick Armon Beacon Journal staff writer The Eastern Shawnee tribe of Oklahoma received a blow last week to its sweeping land-claim lawsuit in Ohio and to its efforts to open several casino resorts in the state, including one in Stark County and another in Trumbull County, according to several legal and Indian gaming experts. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal in a tribal land-claim suit in New York, letting a lower court's ruling stand that the Cayuga Indian Nation of New York and Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma took too long to seek to recover sovereign land. Full article at http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/14633123.htm?source=rss&channel=ohio_news
May 23, 200619 yr Slot ballot drive ahead Promoters seek signatures for vote BY DAN KLEPAL | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER The first jobs created for a proposed slot machine parlor in Cincinnati will be available in just a few weeks. That's when an army of professional signature collectors begins attempting to get a half million registered voters in 44 counties to sign their names, saying they favor putting the issue in front of voters. Backers of a Cincinnati slots parlor said they had resubmitted 2,000 signatures to the Ohio attorney general Friday, the initial step for consideration of proposed ballot language that would bring stand-alone slot machine parlors to Broadway Commons and two locations in Cleveland. Full article at http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060523/NEWS01/605230359/1056
May 30, 200619 yr From the 5/29/06 Enquirer: Gambling backers assisted Council members got developers' donations BY JON CRAIG AND GREGORY KORTE | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITERS In the weeks leading up to Cincinnati City Council's backing this month of slot machines at Broadway Commons, the chairman of the council's finance committee received $14,300 in campaign contributions from the project's developers. John Cranley, a Democrat making a congressional bid against U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot, got $2,100 April 7 from banker and hotel developer Louis Beck, Federal Elections Commission records show. And partners or family members of Chavez Properties, owner of the proposed site of the slots parlor, have chipped in $12,200 to Cranley's campaign since March 31. All told, they've donated $24,600. Cranley said there is no connection between the contributions and his support for the hotel and slot-machine proposal. The Chavez family, which owns the Broadway Commons site Beck wants to develop into a hotel offering gambling, has supported him since his first campaign for Congress in 2000, "and it had nothing to do with this." Neither Beck nor Chavez family members could be reached for comment. Full article at http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060529/NEWS01/605290350/-1/rss
May 30, 200619 yr Signature gatherers have descended upon downtown Cincinnati like locusts. They are selling it as a "scholarship program for Ohio students."
May 30, 200619 yr Damn...is that what that was for. I was hoping to be stoped by gambling petitioners, but I was dissapointed when I heard some thing else. I would have definately stoped to sign if I knew that were the case. And they are on nearly every corner downtown.
May 30, 200619 yr ^ I would not have realized it myself until my husband told me. I wish they would just say that the petition is actually for gambling!
May 31, 200619 yr Opposing viewpoints from Crain's Cleveland Business, 5/30/06. There are a couple of links within the story.: Gambling with casinos By SCOTT SUTTELL 9:40 am, May 30, 2006 Before Ohio rolls the dice on casino gambling, here are a few facts to consider, based on a CNHI News Service series on the consequences of gambling. * Legal gambling in the United States is a $135.9 billion per year business, based on revenue figures provided by the states that allow it. That's more than double the combined revenues of $50 billion annually from box office movies, recorded music, spectator sports, and live entertainment. * About 70% of gambling profits come from 30% of the people who gamble, according to research by Prof. Earl Grinols, an economist at Baylor University. Frequency, Prof. Grinols found, is a crucial characteristic of profit. * Poor people are disproportionately addicted to gambling, a study by the National Institute of Mental Health concluded. They are pulled by the lure to get rich quick. They are also the people who can least afford to lose money. * Social costs of problem gambling across the nation are estimated at a minimum of $5 billion per year, according to a federal study commission. The annual cost to society of each pathological gambler was pegged at $13,200. * A pittance, or $35.5 million per year, of the gambling revenue is spent by government and the industry to educate people about the trapdoors of gambling and treat problem gamblers. Residential rehabilitation centers for gambling addicts are rare. This might all be worth it if casinos actually did what’s promised — that is, stimulate economic development. But economic development pro Ed Morrison notes on his blog that they rarely do that for big metropolitan areas. Full article at http://www.crainscleveland.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060530/FREE/60530006/1052/rss02&rssfeed=rss02
May 31, 200619 yr <i>Nice to see Penn National concerned about Cincinnati's less fortunate and reeling in their casino plans. They don't want anymore of our money. :roll:</i> <b>Investors float plans for casinos as Penn buoys Argosy expansion</b> Cincinnati Business Courier - May 26, 2006 by Dan Monk Penn National Gaming Inc. updated analysts recently on its $266 million expansion of the Argosy Casino in Lawrenceburg, calling it a "can't lose proposition" to grow new market share in Cincinnati. "This is the largest riverboat in the United States today," William Clifford, Penn National's chief financial officer, said in a March 16 presentation to a high-yield bond conference in Las Vegas. "This will clearly be a premier destination property for the Cincinnati market. "And we are very comfortable that this will have a rather significant impact on our ability to grow our fair share of the Cincinnati market," he said. Clifford's comments are particularly interesting these days, now that a group of Cincinnati investors is trying to build a casino at Broadway Commons in downtown Cincinnati. The Wyomissing, Pa.-based company worked with race track operators to squeeze the Broadway casino out of a state ballot issue to legalize slots parlors at race tracks. That prompted local businessman Louis Beck to float a casino proposal of his own. Both ballot initiatives are now seeking signatures to be placed on this November's ballot. Full article at http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2006/05/29/newscolumn4.html
May 31, 200619 yr Second petition for slots shot down BY JON CRAIG AND DAN KLEPAL | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITERS COLUMBUS - The developer seeking to build a hotel with slot machines at Broadway Commons received another major setback Tuesday when his petition for a statewide ballot issue was rejected by the Ohio Attorney General's Office for the second time in 15 days. Signatures gathered for banker Louis Beck - the hotel developer who wants downtown gambling - fell 83 short of the minimum 1,000 voters' names needed, said Kim Norris, spokeswoman for Attorney General Jim Petro, whose office reviews language and initial signatures on statewide ballot issues. Beck's first petition was rejected May 15 by Petro's office when it fell 107 signatures short of the total required. Beck's group, Queen City Gaming Entertainment, cannot gather the additional 323,000 names needed to get on the Nov. 7 ballot until Petro gives his OK. In a separate development, competition to expand gambling in the Buckeye State got nastier as a spokesman for Beck claimed several consulting companies that Beck hired - or tried to hire - may have been "bought off" by a competing band of gambling developers, sabotaging their signature drive. Full article at http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060531/NEWS01/605310366/1056
June 1, 200619 yr At this rate, BC will be a parking lot for another 10 years. We must have the Keystone Cops collecting signatures. If they can figured out how to collect 1,000 sigs. we're in trouble. Petro, I'm sure, is making this as difficult as possible.
June 2, 200619 yr This must be a HUGE topic down in Cincinnati, I just don't see to see as much press about it up here in Cleveland.....
June 2, 200619 yr From the 6/2/06 PD: Casino-seeking tribe rebuts state over land claims Friday, June 02, 2006 Tom Breckenridge Plain Dealer Reporter An Oklahoma tribe angling for Ohio casinos says payback for 170-year-old injustices should not be barred by the passage of time or the state's sovereign immunity. Those are among arguments detailed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Toledo, where the Eastern Shawnee tribe filed a 128-page response to dozens of motions asking Judge James Carr to dismiss the tribe's wide-reaching land claim. The tribe sued Ohio, Gov. Bob Taft and 60 other government entities and individuals last June, after state officials refused to discuss establishing a tribe-owned casino. The tribe, forced from Ohio in the 1830s, argues that faulty treaties and land deals legitimize its claims on 92,800 acres in Allen and Auglaize counties, 640 acres in Logan County and hunting and fishing rights over one-third of the state, including Columbus and Cincinnati. The tribe seeks money for damages. The Eastern Shawnee is attempting what no tribe in the country has accomplished - to establish a casino outside its home state. The tribe operates a lucrative casino in Oklahoma. Full article at http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1149237104317980.xml&coll=2
June 3, 200619 yr From the 6/3/06 Dispatch: College aid, not casinos, focus of gambling ads Opponents call new campaign an attempt to deceive Ohioans Saturday, June 03, 2006 James Nash THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Proponents of casino-style gambling in Ohio yesterday unveiled a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign that makes no mention of gambling or casinos. Instead, the new billboards and radio spots tout scholarships for high-school graduates — without saying they would be paid for through proceeds from slot machines at Ohio’s seven horse tracks and two downtown Cleveland locations. Showing the deep pockets behind the push to expand gambling in Ohio, proponents are hitting the airwaves months before they learn whether their proposed constitutional amendment will qualify for the November ballot. The ad campaign also comes in the middle of a dust-up with Cincinnati developers left out of the proposal. The Ohio Learn and Earn committee, which is sponsoring the measure, unveiled the radio spots at a news conference yesterday in Columbus. The ads say the Ohio Learn and Earn proposal that may be on the November ballot would make the scholarships a reality. Linda Siefkas and Michael Hopcraft, who are handling public relations for the committee, declined to say how much the group will spend on media buys, but they said they expect to saturate the state with ads and billboards even as supporters of the measure circulate a petition. Full article at http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/06/03/20060603-A1-02.html
June 6, 200619 yr Third petition filed for downtown slots Hotelier seeks voter approval of gambling BY JON CRAIG | ENQUIRER STATEHOUSE BUREAU COLUMBUS - The developer seeking to build a hotel with slot machines at Broadway Commons has filed a new petition seeking statewide voter approval of gambling - for a third time. Kim Norris, spokeswoman for Attorney General Jim Petro, said the petition was filed late Friday. It contains more than 3,200 signatures. Last Tuesday, Petro rejected a petition from hotelier Louis Beck and Queen City Gaming Entertainment because it had 83 fewer voters' names than 1,000-signature minimum. Beck's first petition was rejected May 15 when it fell 107 signatures short. Full article at http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060606/NEWS01/606060334/1056
June 10, 200619 yr <i>People want that tax money now. I'm surprise that Cincinnati police make less than police in surrounding communities. Maybe that doesn't include hazard pay.</i> <b>FOP Throws Support Behind Casino Plan</b> POSTED: 6:42 pm EDT June 9, 2006 UPDATED: 6:54 pm EDT June 9, 2006 CINCINNATI -- The Fraternal Order of Police threw its support behind a proposal to bring a casino to Cincinnati. FOP officials said Friday a casino would mean money to build a new jail and to help the Cincinnati Police Department compete with the salaries being offered by smaller departments. "We think it's absolutely ridiculous that we are losing the best and the brightest of the Cincinnati Police Department to small, suburban agencies that pay higher salaries," said Keith Fangman, vice president of the Ohio FOP. Supporters would have to get the measure on the November ballot, and last week, Attorney General Jim Petro said the latest petition drive came up 83 signatures short. More at http://www.channelcincinnati.com/news/9350094/detail.html
June 13, 200619 yr Casino petitions finally get OK Attorney general validates signatures on third try BY HOWARD WILKINSON | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER The developer seeking to build a hotel with slot machines at Broadway Commons got the go-ahead Monday from Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro to proceed with a massive petition drive to put the issue on the November ballot. After failing to qualify twice in 15 days, developer Louis Beck hit the required number of 1,000 valid voter signatures, according to Kim Norris, spokeswoman for Petro, whose office reviews ballot language and initial signatures on statewide issues. The approval by the attorney general will allow Beck and his supporters to go ahead with gathering an additional 323,000 signatures between now and Aug. 9 to get the Cincinnati casino issue on the Nov. 7 ballot. Beck's Queen City Gaming Entertainment will be playing catch-up. Its rival, Ohio Learn & Earn, which represents six Ohio racetracks - including River Downs and the Lebanon Raceway - has been on the streets of Ohio cities for weeks gathering signatures for a casino gambling petition to allow gambling in Cleveland but not Cincinnati. Cleveland-area developers are involved in the that effort. Full article at http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060613/NEWS01/606130357
June 13, 200619 yr Are these seriously just slot machiness? Who is going to come to Cincinnati just for some slots, a bunch of geriatrics? Scratching lottery tickets is more fun than slots.
June 13, 200619 yr ^ I think Tarbell coined it when he was pushing the site for the new ballpark. But I might be wrong. Yeah, he coined it around 1995 and amazingly it has stuck since the 1998 Broadway Commons/Baseball on Main vote. Casinos and the lottery are a disaster, considering how many flaming leftists there are on this forum, I can't believe there aren't more people speaking out against this on principal alone. Casinos and the lottery are just one more thing that contributes to destroying the lives of people with addictive personalities. Harrah's in New Orleans was practically the very first thing to reopen after the hurricane -- it has single-handedly sucked tens of millions out of the pockets of contruction workers and residents who blew their FEMA checks and debit cards on the damn craps table. If you don't think uneducated people don't understand that the odds are against them and don't have any self control you haven't been around it. In my company these three guys who are making roughly $150/day left for that casino from the shipyard last month and came back 3 hours later a combined $3,000 in the hole. They were so broke they had to bum money off the shipyard security guard to pay the cab. One guy blew $800 in one minute on the slots. All three of these guys have kids and aren't married and are paying $500-$1,000 a month on child support. Every day, all across the country, these casinos are destroying lives and you never hear about it because these people are so ashamed to tell their stories.
June 13, 200619 yr ^ Don't get me started on the "loosest slots allowed by law" ads I see along US 61 (both in Baton Rouge and south of Memphis) :roll:
June 13, 200619 yr I hate to sound like an uptight conservative but in almost any case these things do not benefit the economy of a city. Retail has a harder time surviving when people are spending their extra cash in casinos. People are not going to come out of town to go to some stupid slots machines in Cincinnati. If people want to gamble they are going to go to Vegas--the best place to go for gambling. Cities thrive because they have something to export, some kind of specialized service or goods they produce, like Proctor and Gamble for example. All it's going to do is suck the town dry (If people even go to the stupid thing.) It's money that people would otherwise be spending in our great retail stores and entertainment venues. Someone please tell me what Casinos have done to help downtown Detroit or Atlantic city? Those places are both LAAAMMEE. I really think some of this has to do with people being jealous of Lawrenceburg. People are always bitching about how Cincinnati is losing to Argosy and Belterra or Cincinnati is losing to Newport so we try to recreate what they're doing and take our business back but Cincinnati needs to just do its own thing. Let them have their casinos and let Newport have their struggling entertainment complex while we're focusing on building and growing corporations for better job growth and eliminating crime because once you have that taken care of the great entertainment options will soon follow. Even Warren Buffet, an economic genius will tell you that these casinos are not beneficial to a city.
June 13, 200619 yr ^I think Tarbell coined it when he was pushing the site for the new ballpark. But I might be wrong. Yeah, he coined it around 1995 and amazingly it has stuck since the 1998 Broadway Commons/Baseball on Main vote. I was under the impression that pre-71 and parking lots there was a small park in the area called Broadway Commons, and that's where Tarbell got the name from. But I could be wrong. Maybe I should ask Dan Hurley at the Museum Center. Anyway, jmeck & david are making perfectly good arguments against allowing gambling. All I have to add is that of all the ways to gamble, slots are the most insipid and are the biggest money-makers for the house. Aside from the fact that a casino WILL NOT improve the City/County financial position, those two fact should be reason enough to keep casinos out. I honestly can't believe this is being taken seriously. This is about as low as the City has sunk, and I'm a proud native and huge fan of the place. Ugh. It really sickens me that gambling is considered a legitimate measure. It won't work, it's incredibly tacky, and once again, since it obviously won't work, why the hell are people doing this? I'm pretty sure there was an attempt nearly ten years ago to allow riverboat gambling in Hamilton County that failed miserably, and rightly so. How to defeat this? Maybe the archbishop could come out against it, both for purely noble reasons and the fact that it seems bound to cut into church festival receipts.
June 13, 200619 yr ^Heh, it's interesting to read about the history of gambling and lotteries, it's a little-known fact that the colonization efforts by the various English companies were largely financed by lotteries. That goes for both the initial settlement of settlers at Jamestown and elswhere and their resupply shipments. So this country literally wouldn't exist without gambling. In 1984 the lottery was used by The Party to distract the proles from more important matters and self-determinization, in the Autobiography of Malcom X the numbers racket was a hustle that again kept the down-and-outs of Harlem distracted from social change/disciplined spending/formal education/etc. The state lotteries and the proliferation of casinos is just more of the same. That said, without an education and an understanding of simple math and probability you can't understand that the house is going to win over time. This is an easy enough concept for those of us who lost the four quarters our parents gave us for the Big Six and Rat Spinning booths as youngsters but impossible to understand for the poor and uneducated. What's more a lot of people actually brag about how much they lost with this odd smile on their face and shrug of the shoulders. I used to work at a warehouse where one guy would go out on the morning break to UDF and pick up however many scratch-off tickets for the guys. Then if somebody hit $50 a big fight would break out about the guy who ran for the tickets wanting a cut. You'd go out for lunch and guys would have whole strings of stratch-off tickets down on the floor under the glove box. Go down to New Orleans right now and at night some lights are on downtown but man, Harrah's is lit up like it was the only galaxy left in the universe. You look at the city from across the river and the lights are twinkling and it calls to you like a siren, if you're a sucker.
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