Columbus—State Representative Clyde Evans (R-Rio Grande) today announced his intention to introduce a constitutional amendment to address the shortcomings of Issue 3, which passed a public vote on Tuesday.
In a press conference at the Ohio Statehouse, Evans stressed that the constitutional amendment would not change the casino services that Ohioans voted into effect, but instead would provide accountability and fairness in the new casino law.
“Yesterday, the citizens of Ohio made it clear that they want casinos in this state,” Evans said. “During a time of economic duress, companies outside of the state of Ohio gave our citizens only one option—a very bad option. This constitutional amendment will correct some of its inequities.”
The constitutional amendment would change the revenue percentage that the state will receive to 60 percent; convert the rule-making responsibilities to the Ohio Lottery Commission; select casino managers through a competitive bid process conducted by the Lottery Commission; and suspend the locations of the casinos until they can be given further consideration.
The amendment would also prohibit casino expansion outside of the four approved locations without a vote of the people in the county. Additionally, it would divert the revenue to the GRF education budget and to post-secondary scholarships for disadvantaged students. By instituting these revisions, Evans hopes to give the people of Ohio more control over the casinos and allow them more of the revenue, instead of relinquishing power and profits to out-of-state interests.
“I will be open to working with all parties but I am adamant that only one special interest group will benefit, and that group will be the people of the great state of Ohio,” Evans said.
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State Rep. Clyde Evans issued the following statement at a news conference held in front of the Ohio Statehouse:
“I am here today to propose solutions to the damaging provisions of the constitutional amendment that was passed yesterday by the people of the great state of Ohio. On November 3, 2009, the citizens of Ohio made it clear that they want casinos in this state. During a time of economic duress, companies outside of Ohio gave our voters only one, very poorly constructed option—this constitutional amendment, when enacted will correct some of the inequities. I stand before you today with a solution that will not change in anyway the casino services that Ohioans voted for yesterday. It will only provide our friends and families with the fairness that they deserve.
This constitutional amendment will:
--Change the percentage that the state will receive to 60 percent;
--Divert one half of the usage to the GRF education budget and the other half to scholarship money based on need to students who matriculate in career schools, private four year, regionally accredited institutions, and community and technical colleges. Career, community and technical colleges will play a basic roll in our 21st Century education. We can educate less expensively by encouraging students to attend private institutions.
--Convert the rule making responsibilities to the Lottery Commission;
--Select the casino managers through a competitive bid process conducted by the Lottery
Commission; and
--Suspend the locations of the casinos until they can be given further consideration. Except for the four locations approved yesterday, casinos will not be expanded into locations without a vote of the people in the county.
I will be open to working with all parties, but I am adamant that only one special interest group will benefit, and that group will be the people of the great state of Ohio.”
Language of the Proposed Joint Resolution:
Proposing to amend Section 6 of Article XV of the Constitution of the State of Ohio to require the General Assembly to allow casino facilities at locations that the General Assembly designates, to require that license for these casino facilities be awarded by competitive bidding by the State Lottery Commission, to require voter approval of the operation of a casino facility in the county of municipal corporation in which the casino facility is located, to require that a tax of sixty percent be levied and collected by the state on all gross casino revenue receive by each casino facility operator, and to require that half of the proceeds of this tax be used solely for the support of elementary, secondary, vocational, special education programs and half to be used solely for students attending career colleges, community, technical and private regionally accredited colleges and schools as determined in appropriations made by the General Assembly.
Even the Mob waits until they get a few payments before they really squeeze someone for protection money.
There's a city full of walls you can post complaints at
The state IS the Mafia. And if you don't toe the line, they'll send Guido and the other enforcers around to strong-arm you. They always want a bigger cut... and more.
They're more like Fredo if he had Down Syndrome and was addicted to meth. Anyone with half a brain would wait until after the casinos are built to squeeze them for money.
There's a city full of walls you can post complaints at
Reminds me of a picture I saw of a bunch of LA cops from a gang unit, all of whom were wearing black tee shirts that said, "member of the biggest gang in LA". The suits upstairs made them get rid of the tee shirts... maybe because the message was so true. Nothing against cops, but they are the enforcers of the state.
my eyebrows.
Although there are shortcomings in the casino amendment, it the state wanted something different, then the state's house and senate should have come up with their own proposed amendment ahead of the one that was recently passed.
I don't even understand what his proposed amendment-to-the-amendment even achieves, except to effectively counter what the just-passed amendment does.
Well, it looks like another long, drawn-out argument that will result in another issue failing. There's no way Toledoans will vote to turn off any chance of getting their "Rossford" casino.
Also ... a 60% revenue tax? And people call Obama a Socialist? LOL!
I don't know if people would have approved the issue if the State was going to be involved. The state screws gamblers every day. The payout of KENO is slightly better than 50%. That sucks. Vegas style casinos typically ay back 92+%.
I feel sorry for the companies who invested all the ching to get the issue to pass. I hope they sue to recover their losses.
Big Jim
“The art of taxation consists in so plucking the goose as to obtain the largest possible amount of feathers with the smallest possible amount of hissing.”
-Jean Baptiste Colbert, finance minister to Louis XIV