Slots Proponents Commit to Rewrites

Three groups are being made to rewrite their slot machine legalization proposals.  This past Wednesday the attorney general informed them that the language used in their original proposal was not par with state requirements.  In order to get the proposals on the ballot, the wording would have to be redrafted. 

Attorney General Jim Petro wrote his grievances with the proposal in a letters addressed to the groups.  Problems include the lack of mention in proposal summaries of slots parlors possibly operating 24 hours a day, or the inability of local government to control their operations. 

The slot machine legalization groups are facing an August 9^th deadline of collecting 322,899 signatures of registered voters required to get the proposal on the November 7^th ballot.  Petro is allowing the groups to submit a new draft of their summaries.

Before groups can seek out any signatures for their petitions, they must receive Petro’s approval of “fair and truthful” ballot language.  Currently none of the summaries clearly inform petitions signers that local government would have absolutely no power over the hours of operations of tracks and slot machine parlors. 

Petro elaborated in his letter, “This provision overrides the home rule and other regulatory authority of local officials to control the operations of businesses located within their jurisdictions.”

One of the proposals is dedicated to allowing Ohio’s seven racetracks to offer slot machines.  The other two proposals are aimed at establishing a free-standing slots parlor in Cincinnati and two more in Cleveland.  Portions of the wagered money at the tracks and parlors would be invested into college scholarships.  

Learn and Earn are one of the groups lobbying for slots parlors in Cincinnati and Cleveland as well as slot machines in the state’s racetracks.  Spokesperson David Hopcraft says of the rewrites, “I think it can be addressed in a timely fashion.”

Both the Learn and Earn proposal and the proposal put forth by the Greater Cleveland Partnership would give voters in slot machine communities the right to vote on the acceptance of additional casino games after four years.   

There are more limitations on the submission from Penn National Gaming.  Slot machines would be limited to racetracks and they do not currently have a provision that reserves the right to expand gambling.  Penn National Gaming own Agrosy casino and Raceway Park.  Penn National is based in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. 

Eric Schippers, the Penn National spokesperson, speaks optimistically of the rewrites as well, "We certainly plan to refile and will move very swiftly."

Outside of the rewriting hassle, it could be an up hill battle for the gambling proponents.  Gambling expansion proposals for Ohio were decisively defeated twice in the 1990s.  Gambling expansion opponents include current governor Bob Taft, Senator Mike DeWine, Senator George Voinovich, as well as the three leading gubernatorial candidates, including Petro himself.

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