Rep. Blessing invites colleagues for open discussion to solve casino shortfalls
Columbus– Issue 3 passed and Ohio is facing the possible development of casinos in its four largest communities including: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, and Toledo. State Rep. Louis W. Blessing Jr. (R-Cincinnati) announced intentions to support legislation that will be placed on the May ballot, when enacted it will require the construction of these casinos and defines the timelines of each.
“I have little doubt other issues will be raised and possibly added, dealing with taxes, licenses and other obvious mistakes in Issue 3,” said Blessing. “The main thrust of this proposal is to insure that these casinos are actually built and operating as soon as possible. If the proponents are sincere about building a casino in any of the four cities, they should have no objection. While I still disagree with the details of the plan, we are duty bound to honor the voters.”
One of many major concerns voiced with Issue 3 was the fact that the amendment did not require anyone to build anything. The language only “authorized” casino gaming at four locations.
“I will not permit Issue 3 proponents to flaunt the will of the electorate and they made many promises during their campaign,” said Blessing. “It did not take very long for them to show their true colors. One of the promises dealt with Lyle Berman, the CEO and chairman of Lakes Entertainment. Mr. Berman was roundly criticized and cast in a negative light during the last issue campaign for the single casino in Wilmington. Penn National, a primary mover behind Issue 3, funded those Anti-Berman ads.”
In October, Ohio Jobs and Growth spokesmen Bob Tennebaum expressed Mr. Berman’s involvement with Issue 3 and casino development in the following statement:
"Lyle Berman is not an investor in the proposed casinos and has absolutely no role in the Issue 3 campaign. We fail to understand how two members of the Ohio General Assembly – State Sen. Teresa Fedor and State Rep. Lou Blessing – can continue to allow themselves to be manipulated into mouthing TruthPAC’s repeated misstatements of fact…What we do understand is that TruthPAC is incapable of telling the truth.”
However, before the ink was dry on the Tuesday ballots, Mr. Berman’s company stated that:
“Issue 3 was primarily backed by Rock Ohio Ventures, LLC (“Rock”), a group led by Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Penn Ventures, LLC (“Penn”), a subsidiary of Penn National Gaming, Inc. Lakes recently reached an agreement with Penn whereby it (1) agreed to fund 10% of Penn’s costs of the Issue 3 referendum (“Referendum”) and (2) has the option, but not the obligation, to fund up to 10% of equity required to develop potential casinos in Columbus and Toledo, in return for a corresponding equity stake up to 10% in such casinos.”
You can view the full release here: Lakes Entertainment Announces Passage of Ohio Referendum
Within hours of the Issue 3 campaign being approved, Mr. Berman’s financial investment magically materialized. It is now patently obvious why the proponents put in language that prevents the casino control commission from doing background checks on investors.
“The bottom line is why should anyone believe that these people will actually build any casino? Furthermore, these folks are now telling people they will not see a casino before 2012. While building plans and the like take some time, three years is a long way off. They have built casinos before. It seems to me they can do get this done a lot sooner than they are claiming. Unless, of course, they have no intentions to build the casino,” finished Blessing.
