Opposition to Moving Columbus Casino Starting

Already some in the State of Ohio are upset that Columbus is trying to change the site of their casino that was foolishly written into the Ohio Constitution. I remember after the vote, there were some who opposed Issue 3 who said it was over and were willing to give up the fight. I disagreed. Columbus was the sole city slated for a casino that voted against issue 3. I sensed a seething discontent in Columbus over having this thrust down our throats.

Interestingly, opposition seems to come from those not linked to Columbus.

In an online article that I suspect will appear in the paper today The Columbus Dispatch reported this.

In the Mahoning Valley, where they rejected last fall’s pro-gambling constitutional amendment, there’s lingering resentment that Youngstown isn’t on the list of casino cities.

Toledo is not happy either.

In Toledo, which did make the list, some online pundits have questioned why Columbus is the only city getting a second look at locations.

Here’s my quick flippant answer. We were the only one of the four cities slated for a casino to see the deception. Gambling interests which had seen four ballot initiatives fail in the past used the specter of a bad economy and the promise of jobs to create a perfect storm that allowed Issue 3 to pass.

One of my favorite bloggers said this in The Columbus Dispatch article.

“Some here feel if there is going to be a ‘do-over’ that one should be allowed to happen here,” Lisa Renee Ward, who runs a Toledo-based blog called Glass City Jungle, said via e-mail.

I hope this is a ‘do-over’. It’s chance to revisit a terrible decision by Ohio voters that was secured by a campaign of fear, money, and unsubstantiated promises.

A new constitutional amendment should appear on the next ballot that actually reflects the sober reflections of the Ohio electorate.

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