Long odds - The good news Casino gambling is struggling again in Ohio Backers
of a constitutional amendment that would bring casino-style gambling to Ohio are
struggling to reach the November ballot. On Wednesday, their petition drive fell
short by 8,716 signatures. The secretary of state's office gave the committee
behind the drive an additional 10 days to reach the threshold level of about 323,000
valid names necessary to qualify for the fall ballot. The struggle to find
valid signatures reflects the long and tangled history of failed efforts to con
voters into believing that more gambling is an answer to the state's economic
problems. Voters defeated two previous amendments. Wisely, the state legislature
backed away from putting a gambling issue on the ballot. Both major candidates
for governor, Democrat Ted Strickland and Republican J. Kenneth Blackwell, oppose
the "Learn and Earn" initiative. The plan to allow electronic slot machines
at seven horse tracks and two specific sites in downtown Cleveland (the Cleveland
sites could later convert to full-fledged casinos if Cuyahoga County voters approved
in a separate vote) is mainly about making money for track owners and downtown
developers, not educating college students or promoting long-term economic development. Just
30 percent of gross slot machine revenues would go toward college scholarships.
Casino jobs in food preparation and other services aren't the promising jobs the
state should be encouraging. Social costs would be high as savings are drained
and families disrupted, with taxpayers picking up the burden. Greed breeds
desperation, and the Learn and Earn Committee has pushed the envelope in the petition
process. In Cincinnati, a local attorney charged the committee with deliberate
misrepresentation by talking up college scholarships and never mentioning the
real purpose of the petition, to expand legalized gambling. In Summit County,
investigators want to know how the names of three deceased voters made it on petitions.
All of it should trigger a healthy dose of skepticism, and help explain why gambling
advocates are having such a tough time. |