Ohio's 4 casinos see best quarter yet

YOUNGSTOWN — This past winter produced the highest winter quarter casino tax revenues yet for Ohio’s counties and major cities, including Youngstown, the Ohio Department of Taxation reported.

“The winter was light. They were able to drive,” conveniently to the casinos, Mahoning County Commissioner Carol Rimedio-Righetti said of casino gamblers.

Besides the mild winter, the casinos’ strong performance is attributable to their having table games, which racinos, including the one in Austintown, do not have, she added.

Jessica Franks, communications director for the Ohio Casino Control Commission, agreed that the mild winter may have helped the casinos.

None of Ohio’s four casinos had weather-related closings this past winter, but the Cleveland and Toledo casinos have had such closings in previous winters, Franks noted.

For the period between Jan.1 and March 31, 2016, Youngstown and Mahoning County are each getting $362,488, compared to $352,854 for the same quarter last year; $341,549 for the first quarter of 2014 and $326,893 for the first quarter of 2013.

The Cleveland, Toledo and Columbus casinos opened in 2012, but the Cincinnati casino didn’t open until March 2013.

Therefore, comparisons of winter quarters during which all four casinos were open for the entire quarter are limited to 2014, 2015 and this year.

In counties with a major city, the major city and county government share equally in the county’s casino tax revenue.

For the complete story, read Monday's Vindicator and Vindy.com