Ohio gaming to go to referendum

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An Ohio casino advocacy group says it’s come up with more than twice the number of signatures needed to put a 0 million casino project on the November ballot.

MyOhioNow presented 800,000 signatures to Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. The signatures, reportedly from 80 of 88 Ohio counties, must now be verified.

Minneapolis-based Lakes Entertainment Inc. wants to build a casino resort in Clinton County near Dayton, Columbus and Cincinnati. It would include a 220,000-square-foot casino with up to 5,000 slot machines, 100 gaming tables and a 1,500-room hotel.

“We look forward to a positive and honest campaign to get the support of Ohio voters,” said MyOhioNow’s Rick Lertzman, who notes the casino could create 5,000 permanent jobs and employ thousands of people during the construction phase. The group says the casino would return 30 percent of revenue to Ohio counties on a per-capita basis.

According to the Dayton Business Journal, Lertzman predicts opposition will come from casinos in neighboring states including Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.