Berding: Let's Vote On Gambling

UPDATED:

Jon Craig and Jane Prendergast report in Tuesday's Enquirer:

As Kentucky moves toward possibly opening 12 casinos - including a pair in Northern Kentucky - efforts to bring casinos to Ohio escalated Monday.

- Cincinnati City Councilman Jeff Berding announced that he wants the Ohio General Assembly to put a constitutional amendment on the November ballot to allow full casino gambling at any Ohio county that borders a state with gambling.

- MyOhioNow, a group that wants to build a casino in Clinton County, opened offices at Tri-County Mall in Springdale and elsewhere in the region, while reminding Cincinnatians they will continue to lose money and jobs to Indiana and Kentucky gambling interests if they don’t act now.

Berding wants Ohio legislators to move quickly on a constitutional amendment for the Nov. 4 ballot – a rival amendment to MyOhioNow’s. It also would affect every Ohio county that borders a state with legalized gambling: Indiana, West Virginia; Michigan and Pennsylvania.

State Sen. Bill Seitz, a Republican from Green Township, said it will be difficult -- but not impossible -- for the Ohio legislature to pass Berding’s proposal. The Ohio General Assembly already is dealing with some major issues, including an energy bill, and might not want to place a competing gambling issue on the fall ballot. because of the Myohionow vote. Also, a three-fifths “supermajority” of legislators would have to pass it – requiring 59 of 99 votes in the Ohio House and 20 of 33 votes in the Ohio Senate.

“Given the fact that the legislative calendar is fairly full, I don’t hold a great deal of hope that this would get certified to the ballot in time to vote on it in 2008,’’ Seitz said Monday. “And the risk of having competing (gambling) proposals is that they both fail.’’

In October, the state legislature voted to ban electronic gambling -- like Tic Tac Fruit machines -- anywhere in Ohio, but Gov. Ted Strickland recently proposed allowing Keno gambling devices at bars, horse tracks and elsewhere.

Berding announced his Gaming Economic Protection Response Act Monday, saying it’s important because Kentucky appears ready to move forward with a proposal for full casino gaming and Ky. Gov. Steve Beshear’s proposal includes two casinos in either Campbell or Kenton counties - "both separated from the city of Cincinnati and Hamilton County by only the Ohio River."

An approval of casinos in Northern Kentucky, Berding’s motion says, "is a direct economic threat" to Cincinnati and Hamilton County.

Berding said the city’s recent investments in an expanded convention center, renovated Fountain Square and stadiums are at risk if tourists and other money follows casinos t o Northern Kentucky.

"Cincinnati and Hamilton County voters should be given the opportunity to decide if we want to respond on our own, and we call on the members of the General Assembly to help us defend ourselves," Berding said. "Put it to a vote."

Berding also supported the 2006 constitutional amendment that would have legalized up to 31,500 slog machines statewide. It would have allowed owners of seven horse tracks, including River Downs in Anderson Township and Lebanon Raceway in Warren County to install 3,500 slot machines at each location. Ohio voters rejected the measure.

Dr. Bradford Pressman, one of the co-founders of MyOhioNow, the group that is collecting signatures to put an initiative on the Ohio ballot on Nov. 4, proposes a $600 million casino and resort near Wilmington, 18 miles north of Kings Island.

“We are hoping that Cincinnati steps up to support this proposal that will offer 5,000 jobs,’’ Pressman said. “Can Cincinnati withstand the continuing drain of the Indiana casinos compounded with 12 casinos in Kentucky?”

Co-founder Rick Lertzman said MyOhioNow has hired more than 150 signature gatherers in the Cincinnati region to help get the issue on the November ballot. Their website is http://www.myohionow.com/

Berding hopes to get his colleagues on council to vote on his motion next week.

"The net result of this effort would be that if KY voters approve their casino gambling plan that calls for a casino directly across the river in an adjoining county, then Hamilton County could vote to decide if we choose to respond to these efforts with up to 2 casinos of our own," Berding wrote in an email this afternoon. "If KY voters reject the plan, then a local option would not kick into effect."

Berding also supported the 2006 constitutional amendment that would have legalized up to 31,500 slog machines statewide. It would have allowed owners of seven horse tracks, including River Downs in Anderson Township and Lebanon Raceway in Warren County install 3,500 slot machines in each. Voters rejected the measure.