Posted in Poker February 25th, 2010
Ohio Casinos: The Positives And Negatives
The current recession in the the United States has had an adverse impact on the state of Ohios economy, which has in turn led to a discussion on the building of Ohio casinos to pump up revenues. Casinos in states surrounding Ohio including Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, and Indiana all are patronized by Ohio residents, as gambling is legal in all of these locations. This further establishes a financial motivation to build casinos in Ohio.
While there is growing support for building casinos in Ohio, the issue has been a contentious one that state residents have voted on over the years, most recently in November 2009. After decades of rejecting the building of Ohio casinos, voters finally gave the okay to build casinos in 2009. While 53% of Ohio residents statewide voted in favor of the casino measure, only 29 out of 88 counties in Ohio actually supported the proposal to build casinos in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, and Toledo. This warrants a discussion of the commonly mentioned pros and cons of establishing a casino industry in Ohio.
A top reason given by proponents of building casinos in Ohio is that a gambling venue presence will lead to the creation of more jobs in the state. In early 2009, a study conducted by the Ohio Job and Growth Committee in fact indicated that building casinos in Ohio would lead to the adding of about twenty thousand jobs, $600 billion in revenues added by taxes that could plug holes in the states budget, and private investment totaling $1 billion. This does offer a strong financially-based argument in favor of establishing a casino industry in Ohio, a state with high unemployment figures and above average levels of foreclosures.
Where financial growth is concerned, the proponents of building casinos in Ohio see the gambling venues as also supporting the businesses surrounding them. For instance, restaurants located right outside of the casinos may see a positive impact on their bottom lines as casino patrons look to enjoy meals in between gambling and enjoying casino shows. Surrounding theaters, sporting arenas, and other entertainment venues can also see more profits as casino customers look for additional things to do in between visits, with some of them even making a mini vacation out of their casino trip. The casinos may also inspire the growth of new businesses in the area, such as the souvenir shops which are common in gambling meccas like that of Atlantic City, NJ.
A casino presence in Ohio has its share of critics in addition to its supporters. Those against building casinos in Ohio have their doubts about turning around the states economy and adding thousands of positions to it as a result of a casino industry. To provide examples to support their case, they commonly point to cities like Detroit, Michigan where gambling is currently signed into law.
A down housing market, high crime, and high levels of foreclosures and unemployment all plague Detroit, and the legalization of gambling in Michigan did not change this overall situation much. It is of note that the casinos added about eight thousand jobs to Detroit, and tax revenues from them have added to the city’s bottom line. However, the casino patrons tend to be locally-based as opposed to tourists, and restaurants and other local shops have complained that the casinos are taking business away from them.
Those not in favor of the casinos also point to their concerns with the potential for gambling addiction among low- income people. There has been discussion centering around this aspect in some venues where gambling has been legal for years. Many cases of poor people who gamble away the little funds they have in the hope of making a big win have been reported. This can adversely impact a location that is already in a distressed state, which is not how legislators would want to proceed.
Voters approved the building of casinos in Ohio in November 2009 after decades of voting against the measure. Strong proponents for and against the measure have given various reasons for why or why not they support the casinos. Proponents primarily cite the opportunity for financial growth, while those in opposition provide examples of how cities with legalized gambling have not necessarily turned around as a result of building casinos. The months ahead will only provide more insight as to what the future of building casinos in Ohio will be.
For more information on visiting an Ohio Casino visit our blog.
This entry was posted on Thursday, February 25th, 2010 at 7:36 pm and is filed under Poker. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
