Kasich does not veto payments to racino communities including Austintown

COLUMBUS

Repbublican Gov. John Kasich did not line-veto language for $500,000 racino payments to Austintown and five other racino communities Tuesday night.

A conference committee narrowed the $500,000 racino payment to go to six eligible communities, including Austintown Township, for two years. Half of the money would come from the state’s track relocation fee and the other half from the racino operator that owns the facility in each community. It also means that “these payments are made in full, complete, and total satisfaction of any payment contemplated or required by any version of the provision.”

That means this is it in terms of racino payments promised in the 2012 racinos bill. Those payments are due by Dec. 31, 2015 and Dec. 31, 2016.

Penn National Gaming, Inc. will pay $150 million over 10 years into that track-relocation fund for moving tracks from Toledo to Dayton and Grove City, Ohio, to Austintown.

““We’re happy to be a part of the Austintown community, and we always felt that our host communities deserved to receive the money they were promised. While we have already agreed to pay $150 million to the state of Ohio for the right to relocate our racetracks to Dayton and Austintown, we’re glad to put this issue behind us,” said Bob Tenenbaum, spokesperson for Penn National.

Last December, Kasich line-vetoed language that would have brought $500,000 annually for three years to Dayton and Austintown.