If you build it, they will fold

If you build it, they will fold

There was a day when the Ohio Constitution was clear about gambling: It “shall forever be prohibited in this State.”

It took constitutional amendments to allow creation of the state lottery. And various entrepreneurs spent millions of dollars in multiple efforts to allow casino gambling in the state before an amendment was finally passed in 2009

Now a piece of legislation has been introduced in the Ohio Senate by state Sen. Joe Schiavoni, D-Canfield, that would appear to legitimatize sweepstakes sales at Internet cafes without even a nod toward Ohio’s constitution.

A lottery by any other name

Purchasing a card at one of these shops is no different in effect than buying an instant game ticket at a licensed Ohio lottery outlet. Except that the lottery is a legitimate exception to the Ohio Constitution, approved by a vote of the people.

The people have never approved an amendment recognizing sweepstakes joints, and yet there are now about 300 of them operating, primarily in the Northeast quadrant of the state.

The logic seems to be that these shops now exist, so the only thing the state can do is try to regulate them. By that logic, Ohio’s entrepreneurs should have simply built their casinos 20 years ago, counting on the General Assembly to throw in the cards.

That’s the strategy that appears to be working for the Internet cafes.