Slots on the Threshold in Ohio

Ohioans are bound to face grave consequences if a proposal to allow the operation of 31,500 slot machines in the state gets the green light, said U.S. Sen. George Voinovich and Gov. Bob Taft

Taft and Voinovich recently held a news conference at Recovery Resources, an addiction-treatment center on Chester Avenue.

Taft said an estimated $800 million worth of social costs would be shouldered by Ohio if the said proposal is approved, according to a study done in Cleveland State University (CSU).

The CSU study also noted that 2 percent to 5 percent of Ohioans are compulsive gamblers.

But countering the solons' claim is proponent Learn and Earn, which said their proposal would even gather one of the largest sums in the country for the sake of curbing gambling problems.

Learn and Earn spokesman Ian James said the slots proposal, if implemented, could not possibly make the Ohio gambling situation any worse. "They (People) gamble at home on their PCs, they go out of state to gamble, they gamble down at the church. Ohio Learn and Earn provides $28 million a year for gambling services."

If its gets enough support, Learn and Earn would change the Ohio Constitution to allow slots parlors at Ohio's seven horse tracks and at two sites in Cleveland.

Wednesday, 13 September 2006
Kori Woffendin