Saturday, October 14, 2006

One of the strongest benefits of bringing gambling to Northeast Ohio will be
the $75 million that can be used by the region to stimulate economic
development, said Joe Roman, president of the Greater Cleveland Partnership.
GCP is one of the groups that crafted the constitutional amendment that is
state Issue 3 on the Nov. 7 ballot. In a pitch Wednesday to the Crain's
editorial board, Mr. Roman touted the $850 million in college scholarships
that his group says will be a significant benefit of bringing first slot
machines and then table games to Northeast Ohio. But he conceded that part
of the reason for his group's support was the belief that there was no other
way to get the economic development seed money GCP believes the region
needs. He compared that to the billboards he sees around the area that
promote gambling casinos in Michigan, New York State, West Virginia and
Canada - and, indirectly, the broader investment in their regional economies
the casinos bring along. He said he couldn't imagine a similar billboard
that read, "Invest in Ohio, We Don't Have Gambling" providing the same
economic boost. The group chose to make the issue a constitutional
amendment, he said, "because we don't have a legislature willing to deal
with the issue." Mr. Roman predicted that, if the issue passes
overwhelmingly in Northeast Ohio, "we'll get table gaming" in Ohio.