Language on the gambling ballot initiative for a casino in Clinton County contains loopholes that could wipe out its proposed tax benefits and lead to more casinos in the state, opponents of the measure said Friday.
Beachwood, Ohio-based MyOhioNow.com’s Issue 6 measure for the November ballot, proposed in cooperation with Minneapolis-based Lakes Entertainment Inc., calls for Ohio’s first casino to be developed midway between Columbus and Cincinnati in Clinton County. Under their proposal, the $600 million casino’s revenue would be taxed at a 30 percent initial rate, distributing funds throughout Ohio’s 88 counties.
The language also states, however, that the casino could be taxed at the lowest rate of any Ohio-based casino. If an Indian casino exempt from state and local taxes goes up in the future, it could virtually eliminate the tax structure promised by Issue 6, said Melanie Elsey, legislative director for the Ohio Roundtable business group, a casino opponent.
Rick Lertzman, who heads MyOhioNow with Brad Pressman, said the ballot language states that the Clinton County casino’s tax rate could drop from 30 percent to 25 percent if a second casino is built, but voters would have to approve new tax language before the rates could slip any further.
For the complete story, please see Maria Galluci, Casino opponents say loopholes open door for more, Business Courier, August 25, 2008.
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