Ohio licences VLTs - Euroslot - the independent voice of the amusement and gambling industry

Ohio licences VLTs

Published: 28 September, 2009

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland has granted 10-year licenses to legalize up to 17,500 slot machines, or video lottery terminals (VLTs), to be installed in Ohio's seven racetracks. The state lottery will regulate the machines. Ohio has confronted severe economic downturns. The last minute deal between the governor and the state legislature included legal definitions and regulations for the permitted slots within the state's budget bill. The slots are projected to raise $933 million in tax revenues over Ohio's next two-year budget cycle. Strickland's executive order may face a court challenge.

The Ohio Coin Machine Operators Association (OCMA) pushed for an expanded slots bill that would include legalized operator-run video poker in liquor-licensed locations. OCMA now supports an expected bill that will allow VLTs in 10,000 liquor-licensed establishments statewide. OCMA leaders believe the racetrack slots are the beginning of negotiations for Ohio's future VLT market.

Also in Ohio, an appeals court determined in mid-July that some provisions of the 2007 skill game law were unconstitutional. Specifically, the court ruled that a $10 limitation on redemption prizes is illegal under the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution.

The law, deemed hastily written, was passed, signed and enacted by emergency provision in October 2007. Minimal opportunity for public comment and questionable issues within the legislation contributed to the court's ruling. Operators feel this court decision creates an immediate opportunity for them and their struggling tavern customers by attracting new customers to their expanded rewards within their redemption equipment.

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