No Slot Machines for Ohio

Issue 3 has pretty much dominated the news cycle for months now, with the Learn and Earn campaign trying to get slot machines legalized in Ohio. Their pitch was that the slot machines’ revenue would go toward making higher education more affordable for high school seniors. The public obviously did not buy into their claims.

With a difference of over 400,000 votes, the voters in Ohio voted to not legalize slot machines in the state. The slot machines would have gone into area racetracks, seven of them, as well as two stand alone slot machine casinos in Cleveland. Lebanon Raceway was one of those racetracks that was hoping to bring in the slot machines for much needed revenue. "I feel terrible," said Mel Hagemeyer, director of operations at Lebanon Raceway. "I was not expecting this at all."

The pro-gambling activists were surprised that the slot machine measure did not pass, as they were sure that the fact that 30% was going to education would guarantee the voters would approve it. They felt that even those that do not want slot machines or gambling in the state would see that this was a worthy cause and get behind it.

What Hagemeyer knows, and that maybe some voters don’t, is that the racetracks really needed a victory on the slot machine issue, as they are suffering badly. The horse tracks that border Ohio offer slot machines, so their race purses are higher than those in Ohio. The expenses of the tracks in Ohio have continued to grow, but the purses have stayed the same.

Many horsemen have already admitted that if Issue 3 is not approved, they will be moving to states that allow the slot machines just so they can get higher purses, and meet their bills. Experts say that without the revenue generated by slot machines, the horse racing industry will close within the next two years, and everyone will have moved to other states.

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