The Visor

Casinos could quickly monopolize Ohio

November 12, 2009

Editorial staff

Gamblers in Ohio were given an early Christmas present from the state legislature last Tuesday. As of Nov. 3, 2009, the government of Ohio has officially legalized the construction of four casinos to provide Las Vegas-style gambling games within the state boundaries. The passage of the “Four Casinos Initiative,” commonly known on this year’s ballot as Issue 3, will spur both financial and social changes within Ohio.

Basically, Issue 3 mandates that four separate casinos will be constructed in four different corners of Ohio: Toledo, Cincinnati, Columbus and nearby Cleveland. The casinos are able to conduct all games, from bingo to craps, as long as they are also allowed in casinos of Ohio’s bordering states. All four casinos will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Supporters of the Four Casino Initiative had their arguments backed in numbers, but their numbers may not have been as solid as they imagined. True, with the passage of Issue 3 comes an availability of nearly 34,000 jobs. However, tens of thousands of said jobs are merely construction positions for the casinos, and those construction jobs will fade away after the casino is built. Also, remember that the casinos are open at all hours of the day. Half of the casino employees will have to run the games through the night at odd hours every day.

True, the casinos will return 33% of their revenues to be distributed among all 88 Ohio counties and school districts. However, a majority of the money earned by the casinos does not come from millionaires like in Las Vegas, but from local residents that are gambling with their paychecks and savings. The gains in taxes will be offset by the wideing gao between the rich and poor as lower-wage citizens look to “win big.”

The economic and social results of Issue 3 will quickly become an issue themselves. Supporters of Issue 3 promised that money would be distributed back into the counties, but that does not mean that Ohio’s economy will be stimulated. Casinos have the ability to quickly swoop up millions and millions of dollars, and in Ohio’s case, they are only legally obliged to return one third of their revenues.

Fortunately, there is no clause in Issue 3 stating that gambling is now mandatory for any Ohioan. It is in the best hopes of potential gamblers to weigh the consequences of spending their money on the possibility of slots, or the assurance of food and shelter.

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