Yes to Issue 3?

[Silky Smooth]

Now when a Cavs game is on TNT or ESPN they will show the arena and night and the casino and it's going to attract a lot of attention. Im all for it.

 

[Otsego Mar]

CINCINNATI -- Issue 3 for permitting the construction of casinos in Ohio has passed with 91% of the precincts reporting.

Ohio voters have said "no" to casino-related ballot measures four times in the past 20 years and it turned out the fifth time was the charm.

With the passing vote, Ohio will become the 39th state to have casino gambling.

Issue #3 is a proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution that permits construction of four casinos in the state – one each in Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland and Toledo.

Cincinnati’s casino will be built at the Broadway Commons site, Downtown, bounded by Broadway, Court Street, Reading Road, and Gilbert Avenue.

Source

 

[MoFlo]

http://http://www.cleveland.com/politics/index.ssf/2009/11/casino_amendment_looking_like.html

Casino amendment looking like a sure bet
By Reginald Fields
November 03, 2009, 11:32PM
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Tuesday's election appears likely to transform Ohio from an anti-gambling state to one that will welcome four major casinos, including a glitzy new one in the Flats, just across from Quicken Loans Arena.

Issue 3, the constitutional amendment for casinos in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo, was holding on to a shrinking, but most likely insurmountable, lead at press time. With 77 percent of the precincts counted, the amendment had about 53 percent of the vote. And many votes in heavily pro-Issue 3 Cuyahoga County were still waiting to be tallied.

Issue 3 supporters were close to declaring victory, while opponents had earlier conceded defeat.

With Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert pledging that construction of the $600 million Cleveland casino would begin as early as next spring, city supporters are looking forward to thousands of new jobs and more tourism from this new form of entertainment. Supporters say it could turn the city's downtown into a thriving metropolis year-round -- not just when its professional sports teams are doing well.

The promise of jobs and tourism for a city reeling from a devastating economy sold the mayor, City Council and business leaders who got behind the casino plan.

"The people of Ohio voted for change, and at the end of tonight, they're going to get it," said former Congressman Dennis Eckart, a paid consultant to the Issue 3 campaign. "We're cautiously, hopefully, optimistic."

Issue 3 spokesman Bob Tenenbaum said Ohio's sour economy and double-digit unemployment rate helped sell the proposal's promise for job creation and new revenue from a tax on casino earnings.

"Voters understood this was money coming back to their communities," he said.

The casinos won't alter Ohio's landscape to resemble anything close to Las Vegas, but they represent a turning point in the history of Ohio, which until this election had stood alone in repeatedly rejecting the expansion of gambling.

The Buckeye State will now join its neighbors in Michigan, Indiana, West Virginia and Pennsylvania with gambling meccas featuring table games, slot machines and live entertainment.

Ohioans defeated four gambling proposals over the past two decades. And Cleveland developer Jeff Jacobs, who funded TruthPAC, the primary anti-Issue 3 effort, had hoped to make this the fifth to go down. Jacobs has interests in a horse-racing track near Columbus and casinos in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. (*Yet people think they don't have a motive for opposing* )

Issue 3 opponents are not ready to give up completely.

"We'll probably have to put another constitutional amendment on in May to correct some things to make it more fair for the people of Ohio," said state Rep. Louis Blessing, a Cincinnati Republican and co-chair of TruthPAC.

Blessing said his amendment would raise the tax rate on casino revenues, make clear that cash wagering will be taxed, bid out the casino licenses and mandate background checks on potential casino owners.

Tony George, owner of the Harry Buffalo restaurant in downtown Cleveland, predicted casinos would devastate bar and restaurant business in Ohio.

"Once people go inside the casino, they're not going to leave the casino," said George, president of the Licensed Business Owners of Ohio, which represents 586 restaurants and taverns. "How am I going to sell $14.95 steaks when they're giving them away for $9?"(Wow.. really?!)

From the beginning, opponents seemed to be fighting uphill. Issue 3 had a different attraction from the previously defeated gambling plans, with unlikely foes taking a liking to gambling and yielding a sense that maybe this time, voters would be ready for blackjack and roulette.

The Ohio Fraternal Order of Police, longtime opponents of casinos, reversed course and not only endorsed Issue 3 but became one of the casino proposal's most ardent and unapologetic supporters.

The state's most powerful blue-collar labor unions also got behind the plan. And even Gov. Ted Strickland, who opposed Issue 3, might have inadvertently pushed the door open a bit more with his own gambling flirtation -- his recent attempt to add slot machines to Ohio's seven horse racing tracks.

The final piece of the winning formula was capitalizing on the popularity of Ohio's most-liked professional team owner, Gilbert, who with Penn National Gaming of Pennsylvania were the financial backers of Issue 3.

His impact was tangible as late in the campaign, TruthPAC shifted its strategy and targeted Gilbert with harsh personal attacks.

Both sides accused each other of spreading lies. But voters waded through the nastiness and chose casinos.

The Issue 3 strategy appears to have played out perfectly. Gilbert said in September the plan at the beginning was to pick no more than a handful of locations, in easy-to-get-to urban locations with other nearby attractions.

The Issue 3 campaign sold the proposal as an economic stimulus for Ohio. The state will collect a 33-percent tax against casino revenues after payouts to gamblers. The tax money will be distributed to all 88 counties and the host cities.

The kickback to Ohio could be as much as $648 million in the first year all four casinos are open, according to a state Department of Taxation report.

The campaign also promised jobs -- 34,000 of them.

Opponents noted that the casino amendment does not give a timeframe for when the casinos will be built, and without all four casinos being opened, the encouraging job and tax collection figures will fall well short of expectations.

The cities also must be concerned with some of the ills that have plagued casinos in other states: gambling addiction and increased crime. The proposal calls for setting aside money from casino revenues for services to treat those type of problems.

In the end, the biggest winner on Tuesday will likely be Gilbert and Penn National. With Issue 3 written into Ohio's Constitution, the two entities now have a monopoly on casino gambling in Ohio.

It will cost them a $50 million license fee per casino location, a fraction of what casino licenses are going for in other states.

Gilbert has rights for casinos in Cleveland and Cincinnati; Penn in Columbus and Toledo. Gilbert and Penn are next expected to recruit investors for their casinos.

 

[bushwick_bill]

I don't think people understand how impoortant of a move this is with this passing... This is going to do so much to the downtown area...

 

[DougHeil]

I don't think people understand how impoortant of a move this is with this passing... This is going to do so much to the downtown area...

Yes. I'm looking forward to seeing the high class and gorgeous lady services coming to Cleveland.



It's worth noting that Columbus was the only city of voters to turn it down. Cleveland, Toledo, Cincinnati all voted for it.

 

[BlueSeats626]

The only thing I don't understand about the Casino issue (which I voted for btw), is why the state isn't allowed to grant multiple licenses, which would seem like common sense. They basically just legalized a monopoly for Dan Gilbert and that Pennsylvania Gaming company....That's the only thing I'm somewhat worried about.

 

[Sea]

I don't think people understand how impoortant of a move this is with this passing... This is going to do so much to the downtown area...

signed,

Downtown Detroit

 

[InBoobieWeTrust]

signed,

Downtown Detroit

Cleveland already looks like that.

Casinos can't make it any worse!

 

[DougHeil]

The only thing I don't understand about the Casino issue (which I voted for btw), is why the state isn't allowed to grant multiple licenses, which would seem like common sense. They basically just legalized a monopoly for Dan Gilbert and that Pennsylvania Gaming company....That's the only thing I'm somewhat worried about.

Yes, but there is going to be an amendment put forth that would open up Ohio to other casinos as well. I'll bet it passes, but I also bet Dan Gilbert will do his very best to get the measure shot down. You have to give Mr. Gilbert credit though; he knows how to make money and knows how to maneuver systems for the monies to come.

 

[ssopata]

signed,

Downtown Detroit

Detroit screwed up by putting 3 casinos within the city limits plus the draw of Windsor just across the bridge.

 

[The Oi]

I wonder what Max is doing right now...

 

[Amherstcavsfan]

I wonder what Max is doing right now...

Adding the "special sauce" to the nacho cheese?

 

[Erbium]

That area where that is going in Cincy was a prime location for rebuilding...right between Mount Adams and downtown.....you can be sure that people will NEVER be living in that area now....

Very disappointed this passed. The suburban flight will continue, and we will continue to lack a thriving Metropolis in the state....but hey we made a Michigan guy and Pennsylvania company rich!!

I can't speak for all, but I will be spending the extra $500 to fly to Vegas and gamble where there is a more glamorous ambience...as opposed to gambling with Newport smoking overweight women gambling away what little they do have

 

[theSTEREO.]

That area where that is going in Cincy was a prime location for rebuilding...right between Mount Adams and downtown.....you can be sure that people will NEVER be living in that area now....

Very disappointed this passed. The suburban flight will continue, and we will continue to lack a thriving Metropolis in the state....but hey we made a Michigan guy and Pennsylvania company rich!!

I can't speak for all, but I will be spending the extra $500 to fly to Vegas and gamble where there is a more glamorous ambience...as opposed to gambling with Newport smoking overweight women gambling away what little they do have

No matter what your politics or non-politics are, I think all doubt has been removed that Dan Gilbert is clearly a Cleveland guy for a long while now.

 

[Gunther]

That area where that is going in Cincy was a prime location for rebuilding...right between Mount Adams and downtown.....you can be sure that people will NEVER be living in that area now....

Very disappointed this passed. The suburban flight will continue, and we will continue to lack a thriving Metropolis in the state....but hey we made a Michigan guy and Pennsylvania company rich!!

I can't speak for all, but I will be spending the extra $500 to fly to Vegas and gamble where there is a more glamorous ambience...as opposed to gambling with Newport smoking overweight women gambling away what little they do have

1. You can't smoke indoors in Ohio public buildings anymore. No smoking while gambling.

2. What part of Vegas are you going to that DOESN'T have newport smoking overweight women gambling away what little they do have?