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If Issue 3 passes Nov. 3, a casino may be only a city away.
Issue 3 on the Ohio general election ballot proposes the authorization of casino facilities in a designated location in the following Ohio cities: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo. For Miami University students older than 21 and residents of the Oxford community, a 24-acre casino facility may be as close as Hamilton County, the proposed area for Cincinnati.
Issue 3 suggests that casino operators pay a one-time fee of $50 million for a casino license that will be paid to the state to support job-training programs for Ohio's workforce. It also requires casinos to invest at least $250 million into the construction of the facility, totaling a minimum investment of $1 billion statewide.
The state of Ohio will collect a 33 percent tax on gross casino revenue from each of the casino facilities that will be invested back into the state. The tax will be distributed primarily between two main areas - 51 percent of the tax will be distributed between the state's 88 counties in proportion to their populations and 34 percent of the tax will go to public school districts.
Supporters of Issue 3 favor the passing of the amendment because they believe it will put a large amount of money back into the Ohio economy. It is also predicted to create 34,000 jobs - 19,000 in construction and 15,000 in casino workers.
Along with Cincinnati council members Laketa Cole, Leslie Ghiz and Vice Mayor David Crowley, another large group in favor of Issue 3 is Cops for Casinos, an organization comprised of approximately 26,000 police officers across the state. Although this is the fifth time since 1990 that casinos have showed up on the Ohio ballot, it is the first time an amendment involving gambling is being supported by the police, said Mark Drum, legislative chairperson and treasurer of Cops for Casinos.
Drum said the 2008 election's failed Issue 6, which also proposed an amendment in favor of casinos, was not supported by many police officers because they believed it wasn't thoroughly written.
"We believed there were loopholes and it was poorly drafted, with all money going to the state. With Issue 3, the money goes back to the communities, not the state, where the money is badly needed," Drum said.
Those opposed to the issue include Gov. Ted Strickland and TruthPAC. TruthPAC is a political organization that was formed with the purpose to defeat Issue 3.
"We believe casinos wrote the amendment to benefit themselves, the result being it will short change the state of Ohio," said Sandy Theis, director of communication for TruthPAC.
Theis added that casino licenses are worth a lot more than $50 million, mentioning they have sold for as much as $435 million in Illinois. She said she is also worried about the increase in crime, addiction and bankruptcy in the state.
"If we are going to take on the downsides, they should pay high enough licenses fees and taxes," Theis said.
Other TruthPAC sponsors also include a variety of religious organizations, Ohio horse tracks and small businesses. According to Theis, the passing of Issue 3 could mean the end of many small restaurants and businesses located near the proposed facilities. Small restaurants would not be able to compete with the low prices and 24-hour availability that casinos can offer.
In addition, Theis said five of Ohio's seven racetracks would close, which would contribute to the loss of 16,000 jobs.
When asked about the numbers of jobs that would be created through the construction of casinos Theis said "the numbers are baloney."
