Indiana may expand gambling

Worried about new competition from Kentucky and Ohio, Indiana politicians are studying the state's gambling industry to see how best to position the casinos and preserve state revenue.

Though the Kentucky General Assembly failed to pass a bill last month to allow slot-like video terminals at racetracks, Indiana officials think the commonwealth will eventually act to stop Indiana riverboats from siphoning dollars from Kentuckians' pocketbooks.

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, meantime, announced Friday that he will sign an executive order authorizing video lottery terminals at the state's racetracks. He said he will order the Ohio Lottery to move quickly to have the terminals installed as a way to shore up state revenues.

"The foremost issue we need to look at is the possible competition from other states," said Rep. Trent VanHaaften, the chairman of the House Public Policy Committee.

"We have to look at how we deliver gaming in Indiana," added Van Haaften, D-Mount Vernon. "We need to see how it should look in 2010, as opposed to how it was seen back in 1993," when the state's casino law passed.

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Promise of New Jobs Attracts Support for Ohio Gambling

The promise of new jobs is raising interest in passing a plan to expand gambling in Ohio.
Unemployment in Ohio has soared above 10 percent. A decline in income-tax revenue has set off a battle over balancing the state budget that lingers nearly four months into the fiscal year. Casinos could raise nearly $1 billion for the government’s coffers.
The latest Ohio Newspaper poll, conducted by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati, found that 59 percent of registered voters support Issue 3 on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Some are worried that the enthusiasm may not translate into support at the polls, said Herb Asher, an emeritus political science professor at Ohio State University.

"What we've seen in the past is that gambling issues do well early on in the campaign, and then all of those voices weigh in and support erodes very sharply," he said. "What you've got this year is the economy, the idea of keeping dollars in-state, and the growing awareness that there's gambling all around us having an impact."
This year's gambling referendum asks voters to amend the Ohio Constitution on such casino issues as the parcels on which casinos could be built; how to distribute a 33 percent casino tax to counties, cities, schools and gambling regulation and drug treatment services; and the $300 million in ongoing state license fees and minimum investments required for each facility.

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