Another Taxpayer Ripoff
Thursday, September 25th, 2008 By Marc KilmerIt looks like the battle over Issue 6 — whether or not to authorize a casino near Wilmington — is heating up. This ballot issue is quite similar to Issue 3 which Ohio voters rejected in 2006. At that time the Buckeye Institute published an op-ed entitled, “Issue 3: The Price Isn’t Right.” Its analysis, that the state was essentially giving big business a huge gift and that taxpayers were being shafted, is applicable to Issue 6. As that op-ed concluded:
If, and when, Ohio expands slots, it should pursue a course of responsible financial management. The state should auction slot licenses through a request-for-proposal process, which would stipulate appropriate conditions such as bidders having operational strength, adequate financing and crime-free histories. In this way, most of the economic gain of slots would go to Ohio taxpayers and not to a handful of gambling interests.
