Vote No On Issue 6

There is a very good reason that proponents of a gambling casino in Ohio have spent much of their time and money in pointing fingers at other states, including West Virginia, during recent weeks. They would prefer that Buckeye State voters focus on an imaginary enemy at the gates rather than on the casino proposal itself.

It is true that other states already have gambling casinos. No doubt some of their operators would prefer that if Ohioans want to gamble, they travel a bit to do so.

But many of us in West Virginia have no direct stakes in casinos. On the other hand, we have mountains of experience with them - and with the techniques they use to write gambling laws that favor "the house."

Issue 6, the Nov. 4 ballot issue asking whether voters will allow a gambling casino in southwest Ohio, is a bad deal. Here are just a few of the many reasons why:

The "MyOhioNow" scheme makes much of the claim that the casino, if built, would provide about $240 million a year to Ohio and its 88 counties. That's chicken feed in terms of what a casino rakes in from gamblers. Here in West Virginia, we know that. The portion of the proposed casino's take that would go to local and state governments is a measly 30 percent.

"MyOhioNow" proponents have written an escape clause into the law that would allow them to pay over even less.

Should voters make the mistake of allowing one casino, there is absolutely no doubt - take it from us, where it has happened - that gambling interests will demand more. But the language of Issue 6 provides that if other casinos ever are approved in Ohio, government's take from the original one would drop to no more than 25 percent.

Ohioans aren't as gullible as "MyOhioNow" promoters think. Three times during recent years, voters have rejected expansions of legalized gambling. We think they ought to do so again on Nov. 4.

Before you listen again to the claims that surrounding states don't want the Ohio casino because they don't want competition for theirs, consider this: The proposed "MyOhioNow" casino will be located far enough away from this area that it is highly unlikely to affect business at either gambling facility in the Northern Panhandle. In other words, we have "no dog in this fight."

Except for this: We at The Intelligencer don't consider Ohioans to be "neighbors." To us, East Ohioans are part of the Ohio Valley community we all call home. And we don't want to see any members of our community played for suckers by the gambling industry.

We urge Ohioans, then, to vote "no" on Issue 6.