N. Ky. may get two casinos

But Turfway wants just one, built at the track

BY PATRICK CROWLEY | CINCINNATI ENQUIRER

January 16, 2008

 

Word is starting to trickle out of Frankfort that if a gambling referendum is approved by the legislature and the voters, Northern Kentucky could be in line for two casinos.  A key Democratic lawmaker active on the issue and a gambling company executive both said Monday that the region's market, including its proximity to Cincinnati, could support two casinos.

 

But Turfway Park president Bob Elliston said Tuesday the region has room for one casino, and it belongs at the track.  "My sense is that splitting up the market, you would end up building two mediocre facilities rather than creating a true destination competing with the three (Indiana) riverboats already serving the market," Elliston said.

 

Read full article here:

http://news.nky.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20080116/NEWS0103/801160408

Boy, I'm so glad the people and state of Ohio has taken the high road on this insidious entertainment option.

^To be honest I at first really wanted one here, but now I'm starting to think the same thing.

Isn't Clinton county(Ohio) near Wilmington already in the process of getting a casino?

I think if they do put a casino near the riverfront, it may cause some termoil with the banks project, etc...

I think if they do put a casino near the riverfront, it may cause some termoil with the banks project, etc...

 

Why would this cause any turmoil for The Banks project?  I would think that a casino on Nky's riverfront would actually help The Banks project by creating an even greater mass of entertainment/attractions along and near the riverfront.

Isn't Clinton county(Ohio) near Wilmington already in the process of getting a casino?

 

Their proposal is a pipe dream. 

Legalized Gambling must be approved by voters.  Their proposal is less likely to pass than the last two gambling initiatives because of its restrictive scope.  Also, they may need to have 2-3 issues pass on the ballot, making it less likely to succeed.

Boy, I'm so glad the people and state of Ohio has taken the high road on this insidious entertainment option.

^To be honest I at first really wanted one here, but now I'm starting to think the same thing.

 

 

Would you guys want to expand on these statements?      I am just curious.

 

What would be so bad (or so different) if Ohio were to beat KY to the punch?   

 

I personally like to dabble at some of the boats, but I would love to see this different form of entertainment for the Ohio side.  (I would never visit Ind. boats again, along with many others.)   Obviously there is an economic benefit, yet a moral conflict of sorts as well.   I am not one that buys into the increased crime propaganda around casinos.  The added foot traffic alone from one casino anywhere along the river, COULD (IMO) have a bigger economic impact than either stadium.   (Year round traffic as opposed to seasonal.)

 

What say u????????????

Gambling establishments tend to generate the majority of their profits from the poor and elderly.  That is probably a social problem that is not worth having for the sake of the revenues that it generates.

 

I do realize that people from Ohio will go to these other locations, but it is still good to know that we are probably making the better moral/ethical decision here.

Very Well!      To each is his own on this issue.

I was being sarcastic. Turfway is 5 minutes away from where I work. I gamble, I bet on sports, I play the lottery, I'm in a football pool at work. I do it for one reason, it's a lot fun. It's just another way of spending my entertainment dollar.

 

People seem to hold gamblers to a different standard than the drinkers, gun nuts, wife beaters. The end is near if you gamble.

 

Casinos in Ohio was probably the only way to get Broadway Commons developed.

LOL!    That's a great idea!

Gambling establishments tend to generate the majority of their profits from the poor and elderly.  That is probably a social problem that is not worth having for the sake of the revenues that it generates.

 

I do realize that people from Ohio will go to these other locations, but it is still good to know that we are probably making the better moral/ethical decision here.

 

True. Lotteries operate in a similar fashion, with the majority of repeat customers being those in a lower-income bracket, the elderly and the disabled. The only issue with lotteries is that they do not attract out-of-state customers unless it borders on a state that has no lottery system in place. Even then, the aftereffects of a lottery, in terms of outside spending, is very minimal. Most come to buy lottery tickets and leave.

 

Casinos have the benefit of attracting out-of-state customers for extended periods of time, especially from states with no such casinos. Yes, they do attract those in the lower-income bracket, the elderly and the disabled, but approximately 55% of the customers are also those in the lower-middle- and middle-class income brackets. Since customers tend to stay for longer periods of time, the effects on the surrounding economy is more profound.

 

I am in favor of casinos not for the social issues that it creates, and not for the revenue that it generates, but because many surrounding states now have casinos. West Virginia now has table games (had slots for years, and betting before that), Kentucky has track betting (so casinos is an extension), Pennsylvania has casinos, so does Indiana, etc. The state is losing revenue that could be coming to _us_ to other states.

 

Of course, it is also worthy to note that ALL of the lottery revenues in Kentucky fund scholarships and other educational opportunities here. It began in 1989 with some funds being used to finance programs like KEES (merit-based scholarships), and expanded in 2005 for exclusive donations to educational funds. Only issue with this, is that merit-based scholarships like KEES are often given to those in the middle- and higher-income brackets -- those who can probably already afford college to an extent, given the divide in educational attainment by wealth. In order for the funding to be really effective, KEES needs to be retooled into a financial- AND merit-based scholarship.

 

This reading has a LOT more information on Kentucky's lottery system.

This is certainly a tough one for me...I change my stance on the issue regularly.  I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the revenue to be coming into Ohio and specifically Cincinnati...but I also don't want this to have an even greater impact at disproportionally spreading the wealth.

This is certainly a tough one for me...I change my stance on the issue regularly.  I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the revenue to be coming into Ohio and specifically Cincinnati...but I also don't want this to have an even greater impact at disproportionally spreading the wealth.

 

I have gone back and forth over the years as well, pros and cons but with all that has been going on DT over the past half decade, -----An issue like this has the potential to propell the basin into HIGH GEAR.  Whether this goes into NKY or Cincy, both side will benefit.    Large scale Hotel projects, more people eating DT and in NKY.   Obviously one side will have tax revenue, but the other will see an economic boost as well.       

 

Anymore, I believe the risk is worth it!

The returns for both sides of the river (regardless of where it ends up) will benefit from the addition of a streetcar that connects both sides.  That's a fact.

^Indeed!

The gamblers are already going out of state to spend their money.. or they just use the internet.    People already have options.  We may already be seeing the 'negative' impact of gambling without getting any of the benefits.

I oppose any cassino that wants to go in 300 feet from my beautiful, isolated property, which the people in Monroe want to put there!!!!

^ I would think that the proposed Nascar track would be even worse! 

I have no problem with gambling as a vice, I have a problem with gambling as being a normal activity

God says that gambling is immoral.

Remember, ________ in moderation is a lot of fun, but too much ________ will kill you.

God says that gambling is immoral.

 

God also likes to secretly hit up the slots in Laughlin on occasion, particularly the Wheel of Fortune.

So I was impressed early on with Governor Beshear's campaign -- let the voter's decide on casinos, work towards a brighter future, etc. But only days after coming into office, he discovered that we have a massive shortfall that could blossom to nearly $1 billion if left untreated, so he went on a cutting spree -- affecting higher education, college affordability (KEES merit-based scholarships) -- but increasing the budgets of prisons (isn't that only exaggerating the problem?).

 

And now we are hearing revenue streams that will "solve" Kentucky's educational and budget crisis -- much like what was said for the lottery. Except that the lottery and other lottery-based systems are fed disproportion ally by the lower-income taxpayers, and that the success rate is fairly low, and that educational reform came in the form of CATS and other tools for educators that was not based necessarily on money.

 

It has also become political. The Herald-Leader was widely criticized by Governor Fletcher and his administration, and Republicans in general, for bashing everything-Fletcher, but Beshear has been getting the blunt end of the stick nearly every day.

 

Regulators trail Yung's casinos

Hotelier gambling on Covington site, has three states investigating operations

By Janet Patton, Herald-Leader, February 10, 2008

 

Northern Kentucky hotelier William Yung III may be gambling on Gov. Steve Beshear and Covington to save his crumbling casino empire.  Yung's Crestview Hills-based Columbia Sussex owns 83 hotels and about a dozen casinos in five states and the Cayman Islands.  He wants to add another casino to the list, in Covington, where three weeks ago he purchased several parcels of prime real estate for $7 million.

 

All he needs is a license. And for casino gambling to be legalized in Kentucky this fall.  This week, Beshear is to unveil his plan to expand gambling at racetracks and a select few cities.  Yung, 66, declined repeated requests to be interviewed for this article or to comment on it.  Since the '70s, Yung has amassed a $5 billion chain of hotels, mostly Marriotts, with 2007 revenue of $970 million and more than 15,000 employees. According to the company's Web site, it has 32,791 rooms.

 

Read full article here:

http://www.kentucky.com/454/story/314039.html

Beshear readies Kentucky casino plan

February 12, 2008 | CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER

 

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear said he will unveil a casino initiative Thursday, giving voters a chance to vote on the issue this year.  The Lexington Herald-Leader reported Tuesday that Beshear met Kentucky House leaders to discuss a proposed constitutional amendment and legislation that would allow casinos into the state. Details of the proposal weren't available, the Herald-Leader said.

 

Beshear voiced support for expanded gambling during his campaign last year, when he defeated incumbent Gov. Ernie Fletcher.  The FBI has called for a probe into Beshear's relationship with William Yung, head of Fort Mitchell-based Columbia Sussex, which owns hotel and casinos. The company recently purchased the former Bavarian Brewery in Covington, with the hope of building a casino and hotel there. Yung gave $1 million to a political group that worked to elect Beshear, according to the story.

 

Read full article here:

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/02/11/daily18.html

... I just don't get it...

 

THERE ALREADY IS A CASINO IN CINCINNATI!!

 

... If we had light rail, the Casino in Lawrenceburg would be a 20 minute ride from down town or Tri-County...

 

The Jets, Giants and the damn statue of liberty are in New Jersey. Folks in Los Angelas drive to Vegas like it's one of the Burbs... I'm simply blown away why anyone would think that building a casino in NKY or OTR would make any difference to "Joe Cincinnatian". At least he treats Argosy more like a day trip then driving a few miles across town. This shuffling crap is overkill.  We hate to see our historic landmarks, aka Union Terminal... I mean shopping mall... I mean museum raped a pilaged... just like moving Playhouse in the park. WHY WHY WHY.

There is no casino in Cincinnati. It's in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and the city and the state reap the profits of casino dollars and any off-shoots -- hotels, restaurants, etc. Not Cincinnati. Not Ohio.

 

This is about bringing a casino into Northern Kentucky, which would undoubtedly have spill-over effects in the region. Not that I am in favor of the plan anymore.

Casino coalition forming

Turfway in line to obtain license

BY PATRICK CROWLEY | CINCINNATI ENQUIRER

February 13, 2008

 

A leading horse-industry group is forming a broader coalition designed to build support for putting casino gambling on the statewide ballot.  Details of Let Kentucky Vote, including its charter members, will be announced by the end of the week, according to the Kentucky Equine Education Project, or KEEP, the driving force behind the organization.

 

The organization will be nonprofit; will not be a 527 campaign fund, a fund named for its tax code designation that can raise and spend large amounts of money on political ads; and will include business and education groups, KEEP Executive Director Patrick Neely said Tuesday.  "We're looking to make this as inclusive as possible," Neely said. "We'll have business, education, teachers' groups and others joining the horse industry.

 

Read full article here:

http://news.nky.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20080213/NEWS0103/802130376

Casinos are for losers.

We hate to see our historic landmarks, aka Union Terminal... I mean shopping mall... I mean museum raped a pilaged... just like moving Playhouse in the park. WHY WHY WHY.

 

I'm actually quite happy with Union Terminal.  Don't get me wrong, I'd rather be catching regional trains there.  But that isn't a possibility anymore, and all things considered, it's one heck of a nice museum.  Similarly, with the current plan for the Bavarian Brewery complex, I'd prefer that it become a brewery once again, but that doesn't appear to be a realistic possibility.  If they don't use it for something, it's only a matter of time until it is gone entirely.  In fact, we almost lost it to arson this year, because of its vacancy.  I'm willing to entertain any reuse ideas for that property that preserve most of its considerable historic character, even a casino.

^AGREE!

 

Casinos are for losers.

 

You must visit often to know this. :wink:  Once a year is enough to remind me how big a loser I am.

I'm actually quite happy with Union Terminal.  Don't get me wrong, I'd rather be catching regional trains there.  But that isn't a possibility anymore, and all things considered, it's one heck of a nice museum.

 

Just for clarification...Union Terminal is the Amtrak station for Cincinnati.  You can catch trains to a variety of cities from there (two main ones being Chicago and DC).

^ Really?  I thought those days were over.  That's good to hear.

Most certainly is:

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Station/Station_Page&c=am2Station&cid=1080080552034&ssid=87

Beshear's casino plan

BY PATRICK CROWLEY | CINCINNATI ENQUIRER

February 14, 2008

 

It would cost Turfway Park in Florence $75 million to get a casino license under a far-ranging casino gambling plan unveiled today by Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear. Two of the casinos would be in Northern Kentucky.  Beshear’s bill calls for 12 casinos across the state.

 

Seven would be at the state’s race tracks and five at free-standing locations, including Kenton or Campbell counties in Northern Kentucky; in or around Owensboro, Ashland, Hopkinsville, and in either Whitley or Laurel counties near the Tennessee line.  Casinos could generate up to $600 million a year in new tax revenue once fully operational, Beshear said this morning during a briefing in the Capitol.

 

Read full article here:

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080214/NEWS0103/302140020

ok... lets pack up the airport, mainstrauss, NPOTL, Turfway, and everything. This is a metro and doubling up with the same crap is just as ridiculous as moving P&G to covington.  Like I stated, Lawrenceburg is closer to downtown and the airport then downtown is to West Chester, Kings Island or Coney Island. My statement about Union Terminal was poorly stated. It's a gem.  Why doesn't Kentucky or Lawrenceburg build their own Union Terminal...? To me it's kind of the same logic.  We should move Kings Island to Cincinnati too... or we should just built ANOTHER amusement park in Cincy or NKY... whatever

 

There is no casino in Cincinnati. It's in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and the city and the state reap the profits of casino dollars and any off-shoots -- hotels, restaurants, etc. Not Cincinnati. Not Ohio.

 

This is about bringing a casino into Northern Kentucky, which would undoubtedly have spill-over effects in the region. Not that I am in favor of the plan anymore.

^While I agree with you...I do have to say that Lawrenceburg certainly feels less connected and vested to the Cincinnati metro than areas in Nky or the Northern/Eastern 'burbs.

SE Indiana is in the city-state without being of the city-state.

ok... lets pack up the airport, mainstrauss, NPOTL, Turfway, and everything. This is a metro and doubling up with the same crap is just as ridiculous as moving P&G to covington.  Like I stated, Lawrenceburg is closer to downtown and the airport then downtown is to West Chester, Kings Island or Coney Island. My statement about Union Terminal was poorly stated. It's a gem.  Why doesn't Kentucky or Lawrenceburg build their own Union Terminal...? To me it's kind of the same logic.  We should move Kings Island to Cincinnati too... or we should just built ANOTHER amusement park in Cincy or NKY... whatever

 

I see what you're getting at.  The area doesn't need more casinos anymore than it needs another amusement park.  The problem with your argument is that you're confusing economic limitations with legal prohibitions.  If the market would bear another Kings Island sized theme park, someone would build another one in the area.  There's no law (to the best of my knowledge) preventing them from doing so.  The same goes for the airport.  If there was money to be made from having another CVG sized airport here, there would be one under construction on the other side of town already. 

 

The difference is that legally, casinos can't be built anywhere but Indiana, so we have no idea what the KY and OH markets will bear.  It's not a barrier of profitability, but a legal one, that keeps these institutions in IN, for better or worse.  Right now, KY is talking about making it legal to place casinos in areas that are approved by the state.  They aren't subsidizing anything, just removing the legal obstacle that currently is preventing the free market from determining how many of something is too many. 

 

Here's a hypothetical scenario that would be similar to what we have with casinos now.  Let's say that, for some reason, shopping malls were illegal in KY, so if a KY resident wanted to go to the mall, they'd have to cross state lines to go to one in Ohio.  In that scenario, demand isn't determining how a market is served.  And in fact, the gov't is artificially starving a market that would otherwise be profitable. 

 

You might be correct, that the Cincinnati market is already saturated as far as gambling goes.  But the only way to find that out is to lift the barriers and see what happens.

Bowman, Callery agree: River better casino site

BY MIKE RUTLEDGE | CINCINNATI ENQUIRER

March 6, 2008

 

The two men running for mayor of Covington both are in favor of having a casino in their city, but both would prefer to see it along the Ohio River instead of at the former Jillian's site along Interstate 71/75.  "If that does happen, I hope it's on the river," said challenger Denny Bowman, a former 12-year mayor, who noted it would be closer to Covington's riverfront hotels.

 

"Myself, I think the best spot is the riverfront - I believe it is," said incumbent Butch Callery. "But I don't think it's going to get through the legislature. But I thought that was the perfect location. Jillian's is also a good location, but I think the riverfront was the better one."

 

Read full article here:

http://news.nky.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20080306/NEWS0103/803060391

Beshear favors "general" casino amendment concept

BY DAN MONK | CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER

March 14, 2008

 

Kentucky Gov. Steven Beshear Friday endorsed the concept of a "general question" amendment to legalize casino gambling in the Bluegrass state, but added it's "anybody's guess" whether that - or any gaming proposal will make it out of the current legislative session in Frankfort.

 

"Poll after poll indicates that over 80 percent of Kentuckians want to vote on that issue and I'm hopeful that reason will prevail," Beshear said in an interview prior to a public appearance for the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce in Covington. "I would be in favor of any language changes that would get this bill down to the Senate. Obviously, in the Senate, it will undergo more changes."

 

Read full article here:

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/03/10/daily63.html

"somewhere in the neighborhood of $5 million to $600 million a year"

 

^ How are $5 million and $600 million in the same neighborhood?  Could that range get any wider?  "Somewhere between one penny and a $1 billion" is only mildly more broad.

Casino bill snubs river towns

Tentative plans give Turfway all the action

 

For almost as long as the gambling debate has raged in Kentucky there has been a widely held assumption that Northern Kentucky would be home to at least two casinos - one at Turfway Park, the other along or near the Ohio River - if casino gambling is legalized.

 

But legislation working its way through the Kentucky General Assembly shuts out the river communities in favor of a single casino offering slots and video gambling only at Turfway, the Florence thoroughbred track.  That has a key Northern Kentucky lawmaker concerned and a renowned developer convinced the Legislature is pursuing the wrong approach.

 

Read full article here:

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090125/NEWS0108/901250437/1055/NEWS

Boo!  Florence sucks.  If a casino goes into NKY, it definitely belongs in Covington.  Perhaps if they had built Turfway as a beautiful, fun, classy experience like Keeneland or Churchill Downs, instead of an ugly and cheap looking facility, they wouldn't think they need slots to bring people in.  When will people understand that gambling is only a small part of horse racing's appeal?

Could we fit one on the Licking and force Newport and Covington to share it?

Probably.  But from what I've heard, most people in Newport want nothing to do with a casino.  Too many bad memories of what casinos represented in that city in the past I suppose.

Budget trumps casinos

Lawmakers say shortfall more urgent than gambling

 

News that casino gambling legislation may stall in this year's General Assembly reverberates in a place like Northern Kentucky.  Boone County's Turfway Park would be one of the eight horse tracks that would be permitted to operate a casino equipped with video lottery terminals, or VLTs.

 

And for years the region has debated supporting gambling as a way to generate tax revenue for the state, money for the horse industry and funds for local governments and schools.  But last week the sponsor of the video casino bill, House Speaker Greg Stumbo, declared that his bill may not be taken up during the 2009 session that ends in late March.

 

Read full article here:

http://nky.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20090209/NEWS0103/902090357