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Ohio AG: "We'll be taking a look at" Queen of Hearts
By ROBERT CONNELLY
AUSTINTOWN
A lack of oversight of the Queen of Hearts game continues to raise questions.
When asked about the fact that no audit was done after Barry Dyngles Pub, 1601 S. Raccoon Road, paid out a $1.8 million jackpot, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said, “It’s worrisome. We’ll be taking a look at this. As far as we can tell, so far at least, we’ve not seen anything that would indicate it’s illegal.”
He further said, “Just as we look at all new things, we want to make sure the game’s legitimate and there’s not money skimmed off – all the things we need to look at.”
When Ohio Senate Minority Leader Joe Schiavoni of Boardman, D-33rd, was asked about the lack of an audit, he said he wasn’t sure what triggers an audit.
“If there was claims of misconduct or claims of dishonestly or claims ... of skimming off the top, I believe there surely would have been an audit,” Schiavoni said. “But I don’t know what the triggers for an audit would have been.”
Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course – like other licensed gaming operations in the state – undergoes annual audits. Such an audit is part of gaining a gaming license and is not triggered by fraud reports.
If a patron hits a jackpot on a slot machine at Hollywood Gaming above $600, that patron’s name is run through a system to check for state debt and unpaid child support.
That person also would be presented with a tax form for the 4 percent state tax deducted from their winnings. In the case of the $1.8 million Barry Dyngles jackpot, that would have meant that $72,000 would have gone directly to the state.
If a patron hits a jackpot above $1,200 at a racino or casino, that jackpot is reported to the federal government for tax purposes.
The Queen of Hearts game operates by telling the winner to claim his or her taxes based on winnings.
Pub management said Wednesday night that no audit was done of the game, which does not have a direct regulatory authority. In Ohio, the casinos are regulated by the Ohio Casino Control Commission, the lottery and racinos are regulated by the Ohio Lottery Commission, and DeWine’s office oversees charitable gaming.
The Queen of Hearts game falls outside of these realms because it is a pool game with 100 percent of the pool paid out.
“We’re actually starting to look at that as we see this spreading and more talk of it spreading. We’re examining it in the Attorney General’s Office,” DeWine said.
Jessica Franks, director of communications at the casino control commission, said questions about the game would be better asked to state legislators.
Schiavoni said he would talk with fellow Sen. Bill Coley of Liberty Township in Butler County, R-4th, who is the chairman of the Government Oversight and Reform Senate Committee. That committee is looking into the game and will have a report on the game by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, Barry Dyngles announced Wednesday that it would start another version of Queen of Hearts. Its first drawing for the new 54-card board will be at 8 p.m. Oct. 28.