COLUMBUS (AP) — State regulators Wednesday approved the operating license of Penn
National Gaming Inc.
That clears the way for the company to open its Hollywood Casino Toledo, on the
Maumee River near downtown Rossford on May 29.
The Toledo operation will be the second to open. Following the Casino
Control Commission’s approval of its license earlier this month, the
Horseshoe Casino Cleveland is preparing for its opening Monday.
Meanwhile work at the Hollywood Casino Toledo continues with a charity
event scheduled for May 24. The event will be by invitation only. The
two charities that will benefit will be named at a later date.
This will serve as the casino’s controlled demonstration allowing
regulators to see the casino in action before it brings in the public.
Richard St. Jean, Hollywood Casino Toledo General Manager, said of the
planned opening: “The excitement is building every day among our team
members. We’re now in the home stretch as we prepare to bring
Hollywood’s exciting brand of casino entertainment to the residents of
Northwest Ohio and surrounding states. We’ve taken the extra time over
the last month and half to add a couple extra surprises on the casino
floor that we think our players will really appreciate.”
Just days ahead of the opening of Ohio’s first casino, state senators on
Wednesday passed a wide-ranging gambling bill that aims to sort out the
regulations governing casinos, racetracks and new video lottery
terminals.
The 29-3 bipartisan vote came after a Senate panel stripped a provision
that would have expanded charity card rooms from one Ohio county to all
88 counties. Charities can book the rooms to run poker games and use the
proceeds for their cause. Cuyahoga County in northeast Ohio is
currently the only county with such a facility.
Senate committee chairman Bill Coley said the issue would be taken up in a separate
bill.
The Ohio House, which passed an earlier version, rejected the Senate
changes to the bill on Wednesday, sending it to a negotiating committee.
House Speaker William Batchelder, a Medina Republican, said the move was
to give lawmakers more time to examine the Senate’s changes.
“There are a carload of tough issues here,” Batchelder said, adding that
he thought lawmakers could work out any changes to the bill by the end
of next week. He said at least one problem he had with the measure — the
expansion of charity card rooms — had already been removed.
Rep. Lou Blessing, the bill’s sponsor, told his House colleagues to reject the
changes.
“All we need to do is take more time, make sure we get it right,” the Cincinnati
Republican said.
Batchelder said state regulators and others advised him that there
wasn’t anything in the bill that needed to be in place before Monday’s
opening of the state’s first casino in Cleveland.
There was little discussion about the legislation before the Senate passed it.
Coley, R-Middletown, told his Senate colleagues the bill would empower
authorities to keep crime out of the casinos, while ensuring that local
officers would be trained and equipped to deal with cases of petty theft
to money laundering.
“I believe that we’ve been able to come up with a good piece of
legislation, a bill that is fair to all parties, and a bill that gives
Ohio the protections necessary to conduct a wide variety of gaming in
this state,” Coley said.
Senators also added a one-year moratorium on new Internet “sweepstakes”
cafes in the state. Customers who play the games pay for Internet time
or phone cards and use them to bet points on computers loaded with games
such as poker or slots. Winners can get cash or merchandise prizes from
the games, which are largely unregulated.
Legislative leaders have made the bill a priority as four voter-approved casinos are
about to open their doors.
Recognizing the urgency to have the rules in place as the casinos open,
senators agreed to add a clause to the bill that would make it
immediately effective upon the governor’s signature.
Batchelder said Republican Gov. John Kasich indicated to him on Wednesday morning
that he was anxious to get the bill completed.
But, Batchelder said, “Obviously, we will not send it to the floor until we’re
confident of the meaning.”
The bill also outlines a minimum number of live racing days at the
state’s seven horse tracks. And in an effort to further boost the horse
racing industry, certain permit holders could pay a percentage of their
commission from video lottery terminals to the state’s Racing Commission
to benefit breeding and racing in Ohio.
The measure also bolsters oversight of gambling. It gives the state
inspector general certain powers to investigate conduct at casinos and
keep watch over the employees of the state’s attorney general who will
act as law enforcement agents at the casinos.
Other provisions to the bill would let bingo halls remain open until 2
a.m. instead of midnight, and requires the state to complete a study on
the current status of gambling addiction problems in Ohio.
(Sentinel staff contributed to this report.)