TimesLeader.com

Economy central to Ohio casino fight

By JULIE CARR SMYTH

(AP)

Backers of a casino proposal on the fall ballot are counting on Ohio's abysmal economy to shift the winds in one of the nation's most stubborn antigambling states.

The campaign centers on jobs.

The pro-casino committee is named Ohio Jobs & Growth. Omnipresent TV ads tout the 34,000 short- and long-term jobs that would be created by building casinos in Ohio's four largest cities. Unions in the state with unemployment topping 10 percent are working the phones.

Opponents say the jobs claims ignore social costs and the harm casinos could do to adjacent local businesses.

Proponents also argue that neighboring states, such as Pennsylvania, allow casino gambling, and Ohio loses revenue from residents who go out of state to gamble.

Ohio voters have rejected gambling issues four times in the past 19 years. The most recent poll showed 59 percent of Ohioans supporting this year's issue.