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Ohio Governor Ted Strickland is proposing to allow the installation of slot machines in horse racing tracks throughout Ohio, including seven locations in Franklin County such as Scioto Downs and Beulah Park.
The tax revenue generated would assist in resolving the shortfalls in the state budget.
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Seeing that Ohio voters have rejected gambling four times, I don’t see how this is going to fly. In addition, what repercussions will this have on the proposal for a casino in the Arena District? If there is already slot machines at racetracks, then won’t that make it much easier to put a casino in, almost as Strickland is endorsing it?
I feel Ohioans have squarely said they do not want gambling in Ohio. However, I recognize we are in hard times and this may be better then cutting social services, education or parks. What do you think?
http://www.ohiochannel.org/index.cfm?stream=3
yeah, I heard the speech. it was depressing. there’s going to be lots more cuts, a tuition freeze, and yes to gambling. Actually the only thing I worry about is the cuts. with some things, like mental health care cuts, that could really end up costing more in the long run. it’s just not a good situation.
Yeah, looks like some serious cuts are coming.
http://www.gongwer-oh.com.proxy.ohiolink.edu:9099/128/govstmt.pdf
From Gongwer
“Even with those revenues, Mr. Strickland said government would be cut by about $2.4 billion more (framework, programs), some of which would be gained by implementing state employee layoffs. His plan also calls for a reduction in state employee retirement contributions from 14% to 8% of salary.”
More cuts:
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090619/NEWS24/906190362
Mercurius Says: Seeing that Ohio voters have rejected gambling four times, I don’t see how this is going to fly. I feel Ohioans have squarely said they do not want gambling in Ohio.
Sure, but people can change their minds, as Strickland has just shown. The situation is changing, and the argument is changing, and I wouldn’t be surprised gambling sees more support in this context.
Will it be enough support? Who knows.
Definitely good to have the option on the table I guess. I really don’t care about whether or not slots show up at race tracks. But I’m still not a fan of a sub-par Arena District casino.
Uggh. Everybody: go out and start a successful business and hire some people so we can get out of this mess.
Walker Says:
Definitely good to have the option on the table I guess. I really don’t care about whether or not slots show up at race tracks. But I’m still not a fan of a sub-par Arena District casino.
Take a look at Beulah Park. It sits squarely in an all residential neighborhood. An entertainment district would be much better suited than there. In addition, I see this as a slippery slope to full casinos. I’d be better with it if it were going to a vote by the people rather then the legislature. Why do you see horsetracks as any different than the Arena District other then NIMBY?
I guess I should have said that I’m not a fan of a sub-par casino in any neighborhood. The reason I specifically said the Arena District is because that’s where it is being proposed right now.
Anyway, my own personal problem isn’t really with the location in the AD… my problem is that we’re not getting a glamorous “Vegas” casino (which I think would probably fit quite nicely and add an additional as far as an entertainment venue for “shows” as well as additional conference space pretty close to the convention center) but instead all signs are pointing towards us getting a “West Virgina” casino. Which I think is going to hurt that area more than help it.
And technically the Arena District isn’t really in my back yard. ;)
Mercurius Says: I see this as a slippery slope to full casinos.
I think you could be right. I just hope that we’re smart enough to get a good deal out of those casinos. Higher quality venues that are at least a better fit for our urban cores, and a tax rate that is comparable to what other states are getting. I think that we should be asking for 67% like Maryland.
i couldn’t get the video on the main page to work. if anyone else has the same problem go here: http://www.ohiochannel.org/multimedia/media.cfm?file_id=120918
a tuition freeze is definitely not depressing to me. ohio is still one of the most unaffordable states to go to college in isn’t it? i think we have a ways to go before we make up for what taft did with his unlimited increases for a while.
i think it’s all good. no one likes the financial situation we’re in, but we’re lucky to have a governor who remains calm and does what needs to be done. he’s not telling us that if we don’t accept an increase in taxes then he’s going to cut basic safety services. one of the first things he said was that those are staying. he’s doing everything he can to both reduce spending and boost state income without raising taxes.
kasich has his work cut out for him in 2010.
i think the slots are going to racetracks simply because they already have betting there, so it keeps the gambling confined to a small area where the market is.
I was at scioto downs tonight and it was close to a ghost town. I’m all for slot machines there to keep the place running. I wont use them, but if it keeps the cheap entertainment of the track open… more power.
So where is all of the money we give the government going? Now I need to agree to open what I would consider a morally questionable business in my state, just to keep social programs going? No. We need social programs. But there has got to be a better way than this.
Generally, I thought that gamblin’ dollars usually went towards education.
@Manatee – From Strickland’s remarks:
While $3.2 billion dollars is a portion of the $54 billion dollar state budget, it is a significant portion when compared to what I’ll call the “uncommitted balanceâ€Â. This “uncommitted balance†is everything left after you account for nearly 81percent of the state budget, which provides for the state’s share of education, Medicaid, prisons and youth services, as well as paying interest on the state’s limited debt. In certain cases, Ohio is legally-bound to provide certain levels of funding for prisons, youth services, and Medicaid, either because of federal law or as a result of court-orders. Similarly, certain expenditures would lose federal money if the state share is not maintained at a certain spending level from year to year.
More coverage from the Dispatch:
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/06/20/SLOTS.ART_ART_06-20-09_A1_P1E8391.html
To all the Ohioans who are anti-gambling, “DONT GO GAMBLING”
We need to stop taking rights away from people in this state. We have a big problem doing this, as for gambling,let the gamblers go gambling and keep their money in our state.
Gambling is a right? I didn’t realize that.
I’m not sure I get the “anti gambling” outrage. What exactly do you think is going on at horse racing venues currently???
They should also pen into the initiative the public’s right to dress, behave and perform as zombies at these establishments. Slot machines are a non-stop zombie walk. It’s hard to imagine a gambling scenario that more efficiently stupefies and sucks more wallets dry than slots machines.
You’d think that cities and states would figure out by now that the only one’s who win in these situations are the gambling operators. Boneheads.
While it’s true that people can (and do, and should) change their mind, basing it solely on budget needs is short-sighted.
I would argue that if gambling is a “right”, then being allowed to open a casino as a business should be a “right” too. And the proposal on the table only allows very specific entities to own and operate these establishments, essentially granting them a monopoly on the business model.