Ohio Casinos Bill to be Decided by Voters
Ohio state residents get what they told pollsters they wanted: a chance to decide the proposal to license four casinos in the state themselves, without the interference of politicians. The Ohio Secretary of State certified the issue for the November ballot this week, saying there were enough valid signatures on petitions to advance the measure.Ohio voters had said in a Quinnipiac University poll that they wanted the casinos to come to Ohio by a two-to-one margin, but far more decisively said they wanted voters, not elected officials, to make the call, by a four-to-one margin.
Opponents of the casino gambling measure had asked the petitions be dismissed for having too many iregularities. But Secretary Jennifer Brunner found 452,956 legitimate signatures among the 850,000 submitted, passing the 402,000 needed.
The subtly-named Ohio Jobs and Growth Committee represents the casino interests eager to bring gaming to Ohio, while the opposition is an unlikely mix of church groups anxious to moralize about their neighbors' behavior and MTR Gaming, which controls both in-state and out-of-state gambling interests seeking to avoid competition.
Many Ohioans have expressed feelings that both sides should step aside and let residents make their own choices for gaming. Ohio Jobs and Growth is run by Penn National Gaming and Cleveland Cavaliers billionaire mortgage broker Dan Gilbert, while MTR is owned by the grandson of a former Cleveland Indians owner for whom Jacobs Field is named.
"Enough of the rich fighting the rich to see who gets our money," said Toledo resident Tom Carruthers. "Just give us our freedom to choose, and hopefully they have to fight each other for our business."
