Ohioans will vote on racetrack VLTs - Euroslot - the independent voice of the amusement and gambling industry

Ohioans will vote on racetrack VLTs

Published: 10 November, 2009

In a six-to-one decision, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled in late September that prior to the Ohio Lottery Commission installing 17,500 video lottery terminals (VLTs) in the state's seven racetracks, voters must approve the action in a statewide referendum. The ruling will delay Democratic Governor Ted Strickland's July 10 executive order to install the VLTs next year.

The Ohio Coin Machine Association (OCMA) views this as a victory to their proposals. The organization supports a measure that would allow operator-run VLTs in 10,000 liquor-licensed establishments statewide.

Strickland and other VLT advocates had hoped to raise $933 million from tax revenues over the state's two-year budget cycle. As in so many other states facing crushing deficits, the Ohio government hoped the revenues would offset an expected multibillion-dollar budget deficit in fiscal year 2010-2011.

The anti-gambling group, LetOhioVote.org, had filed the lawsuit, arguing that Ohio's constitution requires voter permission to expand gambling. The verdict overruled the Ohio attorney general, who tried to prohibit LetOhioVote from placing a VLT referendum on the 2010 ballot.

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