Casino on the Move, Maybe

Three months after Ohio voters approved casino gambling in the state, they will weigh in on another gaming issue on the May ballot: whether to allow a proposed Columbus-based casino to change its location.

Voters need to amend the state constitution to allow for the proposed relocation, which would move the casino from its planned site in downtown Columbus to an abandoned General Motors auto plant on the city’s west side, according to a local report.

Voters last November voted to allow the establishment of four casinos in the state’s top four cities. The measure won in three of the four cities, but lost in Franklin County, where Columbus is located. Many residents and the city’s mayor continue to oppose the new casino, and oppose its proposed location, in the city’s so-called Arena District.

“The Arena District, when it was designed, was for family-friendly entertainment,” said Rep. Kevin Bacon, a Columbus Republican who sponsored the relocation resolution with Rep. Ted Celeste, a Democrat also from Columbus. “It was never designed to have a casino.”

The amendment would not affect casino plans in Cleveland, Toledo, or Cincinnati, reports said. If the amendment fails, the casino’s owners will be allowed to build the gaming facility in the original downtown location.

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