Gambling News by Gambling Headquarters

By a lopsided margin, Ohio voters once more have turned down a proposal to allow video gambling at racetracks and a few other locations in the state. Last week's referendum on the issue marked the third time that voters have said no to gambling beyond that allowed through the state lottery system. What went wrong for gambling promoters? They spent an estimated $20 million attempting to convince voters that gambling was a good bet for Ohio. They promised that hundreds of millions of dollars a year would be made available for college scholarships. For good measure, they threw in millions of dollars for economic development. They really thought they had the battle won, this time. But they underestimated the perceptiveness of voters who saw through the slick advertising, including claims that, somehow, legalized gambling would remedy problems "the politicians" had not addressed. They saw that Issue 3 on the ballot would have locked the state in to receiving less than a fair share of proceeds from gambling. Had it been approved, gambling promoters would have been permitted to keep 55 percent of the proceeds from their casinos. Supporters of legalized gambling were in shock after the election. Where did they go wrong? Simple: They attempted to pull a fast one on voters - who read between the lines and didn't fall for it.