Keep the money in Ohio

Keep the money in Ohio

EDITOR:

I am troubled when I see a politician like Sen. Voinovich who lived off the taxpayers as long as I can remember appear on television and use his office urging voters to vote no on Issue 3 premised on nothing more but a prophetic notion that a passing of Issue 3 will not create 34,000 new jobs and that the four casinos pursuant to the constitutional amendment regarding Issue 3 represents a lucrative windfall for the wealthiest families.

Every year, thousands of Ohioans take over $1 billion a year to out-of-state casinos when they could be spending that money here in Ohio. How many trips are Ohioans making a year to gamble? According to a study by the Innovation Group, a respected source of gaming industry analysis, Ohioans took almost 17.8 million trips out of state to gamble in 2008. Go to the bank. Take out $121 for each member of your household. Put the money in an envelope. Get on the interstate, drive into a neighboring state and throw the envelope out the window.

What happens if Issue 3 doesn’t pass? The Innovation Group study predicts Ohioans will spend over $1.5 billion out-of-state by 2013. The study also predicts that the number of trips to out-of-state casinos will rise to about 18.8 million — another million wasted opportunities for the state. Ohioans can continue driving to neighboring states and throwing money out the window, or Ohio can say yes to Issue 3, and bring that money home.

JOE SABINO

Columbiana