Ohio casinos could mean less money for state

COLUMBUS (AP) — Multimillion-dollar downpayments on racetrack slots proposed by Gov. Ted Strickland are at risk if Ohio voters approve a competing casino plan in November, the chief executive of a major racing company said Friday.

MTR Gaming Group Inc. CEO Robert Griffin told a special state Senate committee that a provision in the governor’s plan allowing horse tracks to get their money back if casinos are legalized is intended to reassure potential investors.

Griffin said his company is prepared to spend $6 million to $8 million to defeat the casino plan, backed by rival gaming company Penn National, and make the governor’s slots proposal a money maker.

But senators exploring details of Strickland’s plan expressed concern and anger at the surprises turning up in the eleventh-hour proposal to balance the $54 billion, two-year state budget.

“This committee was called a political stunt,” said state Sen. Jon Husted, a Kettering Republican and member of the committee. “Today, after two days of hearings, we are clear that what this committee has done is discover the fatal flaws that need to be addressed.”

The Strickland administration has estimated that licenses at each of seven Ohio horse tracks would raise $65 million in licensing fees, contributing to the $933 million in total revenue they say slots would pump into state coffers. That money, combined with $2.3 billion in cuts, is proposed to fill a $3.2 billion budget hole.

However, legislative language released late Thursday revealed a provision included Strickland’s plan gives investors the option of getting their money back if a fall ballot issue legalizing casinos in four cities is approved.