Company seeking support for
casinos at seven racetracks and three other sites
Another proposal to
legalize casinos in Ohio is being floated by
Penn National Gaming, which reportedly helped defeat last November’s voter referendum
to allow a single casino in the state near Wilmington by funding opposition
groups.
A lobbyist for Penn National was reported by the Columbus
Dispatch to be talking to Ohio lawmakers to
secure support for a ballot initiative that would permit casinos to be built at
the state’s seven racetracks and at stand-alone sites in Cleveland,
Cincinnati and Columbus. Penn National owns Raceway Park in Toledo.
The proposal would permit more casinos in Ohio than the expanded measure being floated by
MyOhioNow, chief sponsor behind last November’s State Issue 6 referendum, which
will call for casinos in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Toledo and Youngstown.
Both ballot proposals are targeted for voter consideration next
November.
Principals
of MyOhioNow have indicated they find it ironic that Penn National is pushing a
casino legalization measure as the Pennsylvania-based company reportedly spent
$36 million to defeat State Issue 6, reportedly to protect its Argosy Casino in
nearby Lawrenceburg, Ind., from competition from the proposed $600 million
Wilmington casino. With Penn National pushing its own casino referendum,
church-affiliated anti-casino groups say it will be much harder to get the same
overwhelming 62-percent “no” vote by which State Issue 6 was
defeated.
Opposition to Ohio
casinos appears to be softening. Faced with $7 billion state budget shortfall,
Gov. Ted Strickland told the Cincinnati Enquirer that while he in still against
expanding gambling, “it would be unwise, and perhaps even inappropriate not to
consider contrary arguments.”
Penn National floats own proposal for casino gambling in Ohio
March 1, 2009
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