Ohio Gambling Resource Page
Issue 3, the so-called "Learn and Earn" amendment, is one of the many initiatives that Ohioans will be asked to vote on in the upcoming November elections. It is imperative that Ohio's electorate have a firm understanding of the potential impact of Issue 3 on Ohio's economy. To this end, the Buckeye Institute has released a new Viewpoint article by Jeff Hooke, Tom Firey, and David Hansen, entitled "Issue 3: The Price Isn't Right", which analyzes the ballot measure. Click here to read the full article.
The Buckeye Institute has also released a new Power Point presentation on the potential effects of Issue 3. Click here to view the slide show.
Earlier in the year, Buckeye republished a 1996 study on Ohio gambling by William Thompson, of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Though ten years old, the study's pinciples and conclusions remain relevant. Click here to read Thompson's full study.
If approved, Issue 3 would allow slot machines to be installed on the premises of seven racetracks around Ohio. It would also allow three casinos to be constructed, two in Cleveland and one in Cincinnati.
The ballot language provides that operators of the slot machines and casinos would be entitled to 55% of the profits. A college tuition grant program would receive 30% - hence the name "Learn and Earn Amendment." A gambling addiction program would receive 1%, and the rest of the profits would be split between local governments and racetrack purses.
Another way to estimate the effect of bringing gambling to Ohio is to take a glimpse at the evidence from other states. For this purpose we have compiled a list of research conducted by other public policy organizations around the country. These organizations are:
- The Wisconsin Policy Research Institute [link]
- Calvert Institute for Policy Research (Maryland) [link]
- Center of the American Experiment (Minnesota) [link]
- Pacific Research Institute (California) [link]
- Mackinac Center for Public Policy (Michigan) [link]
- Commonwealth Foundation (Pennsylvania) [link]
- Alabama Policy Institute [link]
- Texas Public Policy Foundation [link]
- Independence Institute (Colorado) [link]
These organizations, like the Buckeye Institute, are members of the State Policy Network (SPN) - a professional service organization for America's state-based, free market think tank community. As can be seen from the research chronicled here, members of the free market community have legitimate disagreements with each other on issues of legalized gambling. These disagreements make serious discussion and study, rather than empty rhetoric, all the more imperative for Ohioans if we are to make an educated decision concerning the Learn and Earn Amendment, and indeed, gambling policy in general.
Research and Commentary on Gambling in the States:
Wisconsin Policy Research Institute
- Casinos and Crime in Wisconsin: What's the Connection?
- The Social Costs of Casino Gambling in Wisconsin
- The Economic Impact of Native American Gaming in Wisconsin
Calvert Institue for Policy Research
Center of the American Experiment
- Gambling Ban a Net Threat
- Gambling Prohibitionists Target the Internet
- Congressional Compromise Fails to Fix Problems of Proposed Internet Gambling Ban
- The Odds are Good for Virtual Vice
Mackinac Center for Public Policy
- The Economic Impacts of Introducing Slot Machines at Racetracks in Pennsylvania: A Review of the Penn State Harrisburg Study
- Gambling Monopoly for Me, But Not For Thee!
- Betting on Gambling to Improve Pennsylvania's Fiscal Health is a Risky Proposition
- Betting on Gambling: Potential Costs and Consequences for Pennsylvania
Texas Public Policy Foundation
