Discussing the pitfalls of gambling
Gambling won't cure Ohio's financial woes, a speaker said.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
WARREN -- While a group of political heavy-hitters ironed out a game plan in Columbus to bring casinos to Ohio, about 250 Mahoning Valley residents heard why the proposition is a losing gamble.
The Rev. John A. Temple, senior pastor at North-Mar Church of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, opened the church's doors Thursday to discuss the problems with legalizing Las Vegas-style casinos in Ohio.
The guest speaker was David Zanotti, president and chief executive officer of the Ohio Roundtable, a conservative-leaning public policy organization. Zanotti has traveled the state speaking against expanded gambling in Ohio.
Zanotti said he would "leave the Bible off the table," and not criticize casino gambling as a moralistic issue. But he couldn't help himself at times, referring to Bible passages and saying he would have to pray before making a decision.
About 10 percent of those in attendance Thursday were pastors or elders at northeast Ohio parishes.
Zanotti said it is a myth that casino gambling can cure the state's lingering economic woes.
The state's proposed annual budget is about $25 billion, and in a best-case scenario, revenue from casinos would bring about $400 million into Ohio's coffers. That's a fraction of the state's annual budget, he said.
Eastern Shawnee proposal
In particular, Zanotti attacked a proposal by the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma. The tribe wants to establish Vegas-style casinos in Ohio, including one in Lordstown, with a portion in Jackson Township.
The tribe has an option to buy a 137-acre site, and says it plans to spend between $125 million and $250 million to develop the local gambling resort over the next 2 1/2 years. The tribe expects to employ between 2,500 and 3,500 people at that location.
Under state law, the proposed Class 3 casino is illegal. The tribe wants to work out a deal with Ohio Gov. Bob Taft to open casinos in the state, but the governor strongly opposes the plan.
Also the tribe would break new legal ground if it got the casino. There are only three off-reservation casinos in the country, and they are all located near land owned by the tribe running the casinos. The Eastern Shawnees are based in Oklahoma, hundreds of miles from Ohio.
Zanotti said talk of making Lordstown and other locations in Ohio resort destinations is ridiculous. People won't come here to do nothing but gamble, he said.
"I got a feeling we're being scammed," he said.
Zanotti also took a shot at those who gamble at Mountaineer Race Track and Gaming Resort in West Virginia, a drive of less than an hour from the Valley.
He described a typical Mountaineer gambler as elderly or those who wear adult diapers so they don't have to leave the slots to go the restroom. Also, he said, they usually drive junk cars.
"Would you want these people to come here?" he asked the crowd to much laughter.
Effects of gambling
The Rev. Mr. Temple said people need to realize that expanding gambling won't help the Valley or the state, and the fallout -- including causing gambling addictions that can break up families -- isn't a price anyone should have to pay.
Zanotti invited Rob Walgate, an Ohio Roundtable staffer originally from East Liverpool, to share his story of gambling addiction with the audience.
Walgate grew up in East Liverpool, and got his first taste of gambling as a teenager going to Mountaineer. It escalated, he said, to illegal gambling, and he stole money from his parents to pay for his habit, and his life spun out of control.
"It's an addiction," he said. "I lost $23,000 in a five-day period at my worst."
But after getting gambling counseling, Walgate said he turned his life around.
The Thursday meeting at the Warren church was held the same day as a get-together of several powerful state lawmakers, racetrack owners and gambling industry representatives. That group is attempting to expand gambling in Ohio, and agreed to commission a poll to determine if state residents want gambling, and if so, what type would they prefer.
Mr. Temple said the timing of the two meetings is a coincidence. This was the only day Zanotti had free to speak. Zanotti repeated several times that he wasn't paid to come to Warren.
Several major politicians, including three 2006 Republican gubernatorial candidates and U.S. Sen. George V. Voinovich, are organizing an effort with the Ohio Roundtable to fight gambling.