One Casino or the First Casino for Ohio?
The MyOhioNow Trap Door for Counties

There is a strange mixed message in the MyOhioNow campaign. They claim their amendment is for a single casino monopoly. Yet their commercials call the amendment campaign “The First Casino for Ohio”. How can both claims be true?

There are state and federal laws that prohibit legal arrangements of special privilege, monopolies and unequal treatment under the law. If voters were to approve the MyOhioNow proposal, legal challenges would certainly follow from other casino entities seeking to open in Ohio.

The MyOhioNow amendment actually anticipates more casinos opening in Ohio by including the following language:
B) The General Assembly shall authorize a tax of up to thirty percent (30%) of the gross casino receipts of the casino. In the event that another casino is permitted in Ohio by state or federal law to conduct gaming activities similar to that conducted by the casino authorized under division (A) of this section, the tax rate on gross casino receipts authorized by this subsection shall not exceed the lesser of twenty-five percent (25%) or the lowest percentage rate payable by any other casino subsequently authorized.

Legalizing one commercial casino in Ohio would open the door to all forms of casinos. Tribal activities by the Eastern Shawnee of Oklahoma are well documented in Ohio. The Shawnee have been signing land deals with cities and litigating in federal courts to secure land and open tribal casinos. Federal laws currently restrict tribal gambling because tribes may not open casinos in states that prohibit casino gambling. If the MyOhioNow amendment passes, the door will be open to tribal casinos in Ohio. Racetracks and other gambling entities will aggressively pursue casino gambling in the Legislature, the Courts and on the ballot.

Legalize one casino in Ohio and the casino industry will battle until Ohioans are forced to accept   all forms of casino gambling. The MyOhioNow amendment not only anticipates the certainty of more casinos but affirms the role of the federal government in making more casinos a reality. This can be interpreted either as a mandate by a federal court to break the MyOhioNow monopoly and permit additional casinos, or by a ruling that establishes tribal casinos in Ohio.

It gets worse. As soon as another casino opens in Ohio, the MyOhioNow casino gets to break its promise to give 30% of its tax revenue to Ohio counties. If a tribal casino opens and agrees to a 2% or 10% tax rate, MyOhioNow immediately re-calibrates its tax rate downward! This will radically cut revenue to all counties.