Clinton County is at the heart of what is known as Ohio’s ‘golden triangle’ and within 30 minutes of the growing metropolitan areas of Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus. It is a major hub of employment, shopping and business and at the end of last year the Clinton County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC) announced it was forming an advisory committee to give advice and commentary during the design and engineering stages of a proposed casino project.

MyOhioNow.com has until August to collect the required number of signatures to get the casino initiative on the November ballot. The US$600 million casino project, unveiled in March, includes 220,000 square feet of casino floor space, 4,000 to 5,000 slot machines, about 100 table games, a 20-table poker room, a 20-floor hotel with about 1,500 all-suite rooms, a 40,000 to 60,000 square foot conference center, a 2,500-seat live theater, about eight restaurants, specialty retail shops, a golf course, a full-service spa, a 12,000-square-foot Kids Quest and Arcade, and a 3,000-car parking garage.

One Clinton County Commissioner, Dave Stewart, is ready to put his job on the line in support of the casino project. In an open letter he describes how he has visited casinos in Indiana and Michigan to research and observe how casino operations affect communities. “I have done my homework and have not made a hasty decision. Having talked to law enforcement on all levels and government officials with casinos in their jurisdiction has given me the background to make an informed decision to support this issue.”

He adds, “I know my decision to support this plan will upset some. To those, I apologize. I was asked not to publicly endorse this issue for political reasons. In my opinion, 5,000 new jobs available in our county so our residents can work and feed their families is more important than my re-election. I believe Clinton County must take advantage of this opportunity.”

In April Minnesota-based Lakes Entertainment joined the coalition pushing to legalize gambling and build a destination casino near Wilmington. The amendment to the Ohio constitution would ask voters to approve no more than one privately-owned casino to be operated in Ohio with gross casino receipts taxes to be distributed among all eighty-eight county governments in the state. One poll this year on the question of allowing casino gambling in Ohio puts 68% of residents in favour of the initiative. (E-06.06.08)

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