Online Casinos Directory

The state of Ohio is in the midst of serious debates over online gambling. Governor Steve Strickland is leading the legislators of the state to allow racetracks with slots, or racinos, to be established. It’s been a few years now that gambling and racinos in particular have been up for debate. The Governor is well aware of the struggling budget within the state and gambling is set to bring in the necessary funds to overcome. There are few other options in at state’s disposals that would bring in millions of tax-revenue dollars. Though legislators believe legalizing gambling, racinos to be exact, is the most reliable way to bring in money, there are other entities within the state that disagree.

Namely LetOhioVote is an organization that is petitioning for state legislators to allow the voting public to decide on the issue of legalized gambling. They want the issue to be on the November ballot and decided by the people. Organizers of the group firmly asserted that they have no opinion as to whether or not gambling should be legalized or not—that argument is not a part of their agenda. Rather, their only concern is that the people are given the proper information to make an informed decision. They want to be sure that politicians are not painting a more positive picture of the gambling issue in an effort to bring in millions of tax-revenue dollars. There is a repercussion of having gambling facilities and online gambling legalization. Some experts are citing the increase in congestion from traffic if land-based casinos are built and other are noting the increase in gambling addictions to deal with. These are just a few issues to deal with for the state and any other state that brings gambling into its legislature.

LetOhioVote is campaigning hard for the change to be put into the hands of the public. Legislators would have preferred to pass the issue and collect on funds. Now, it is in the hands of the voting public whether or not gambling will be a staple in the finances of the state. Within the next few months the issues should be sorted out because the voting public will have spoken.

Alabama is a state that has long been in the midst of debates over gambling and now bingo, namely, is up to the chopping block. Governor Bob Riley has been a force against gambling since the issue first arose a few years ago. He has consistently stood against it and pined for legislation to ban it within the state’s borders. Now he is taking aim at the state’s electronic bingo machines because they are an offshoot of slot machines, which are illegal within the state. So far the Governor has created a task force that is set to block all bingo machine gaming. The group must police the state and has already closed down over thirty gambling halls and left a few hundred people out of their jobs. Many of those closings happened in low-income, black areas and that is causing tension.

Black leaders are now issuing complaints about the loss of jobs in particular. They see the economy as still a harrowing one where jobs cannot be eliminated. They are also citing the losee of tax revenue from gambling as a reason why the governor should stop his adamant moves to thwart it altogether. Former state Senator George Clay is taking notice of the issue and citing the 1950s move to prevent desegregation of schools by shutting down the Macon County economy. He states that the moves Riley is making are reminiscent of the illegal moves made over a half-a-century ago.

John Tyson is the task force commander and he insists that this is not a repeat of the former incident. The one happening now does not prey on the innocent, as Tyson stated. Despite his argument, many are seeing a correlation between incidents since the communities involved are losing so much in the process. They claim that the governor is targeting low-income neighborhoods and they have no other reasonable replacement activities for jobs or revenue. Various individuals within the community are garnering help from political figures to stand against the governor’s move. They want to create a support system for laid-off bingo hall workers and a referendum vote to reopen the halls.

Vote No Casinos is a group opposing a new casino to be built by Penn National. The casino is scheduled by Penn, owner of Argosy Casino, and the proposed development will include a 22,000 square foot casino. The casino itself will have 5,000 slot machines and 100 gaming tables. A hotel with 1,500 rooms will form part of the development. The total price tag of the casino resort is estimated around $600 million. The casino will be just off the Interstate 71 at Route 73. Penn National Gaming, owner of the Argosy Casino in Indiana are opposed to the new casino and has filed a protest which was rejected by Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. Penn National Gaming claims that the developers have not properly filed their paperwork. They are also running a television and radio campaign for Ohio voters to reject the new casino development. They are cautioning the voters about all the ramifications of bringing gambling to the area.

When it comes to Vote No Casinos, this is a group that is voicing its strong opinion against the casino. The organization is run by the Ohio Roundtable and does not want to be associated with Penn National Gaming. It is decrying its construction and noting how bringing a casino resort to the area is a high price to pay for the community and surrounding areas. Commercials against the casino are claiming that due to certain loopholes tax money from the casino may not be as much as is currently foreseen. Rick Lertzman, co-owner of MyOhioNow.com denies this, he says that the casino would distribute some 30% of their profits to all 88 counties in Ohio which would amount to roughly $240 million. Lertzman also said that Penn National is afraid that the new casino would take some of their business. The new casino will be 40 miles away from the Argosy Casino and he says that it will attract Ohioans who currently cross the border to Indiana to gamble. Eric Schippers of Penn National says that a yes vote will give MyOhioNow.com a casino monopoly. It will take time for the issue to be settled but it seems like the Ohio voters are the ones that will make the final decision.

Des Plaines 3rd Ward Alderman Matt Bogusz urged the city council Monday night to strongly oppose video gambling machines in town because they would hurt the city’s planned casino. The new video poker legislation, approved by the Illinois House and Senate but not yet signed into law by Gov. Pat Quinn, could put more than 45,000 such devices in establishments across the state. This legislation would allow any type of establishment with a liquor license to allow video gambling.  Once legislation passes, municipalities would still have the right to ban them, however. “‘We need to be on the forefront of opposing gaming expansion,” Bogusz said.

The problem with the expansion is that it would cut into slots revenue for casinos in the state. There is a lot of revenue to be had in states, but there is a limited amount of revenue. Everyone wants a piece of the gambling pie these days and as many states move towards regulation and legalization of the hobby, the rules are still sketchy. It’s the first time that gambling will be used to fund state budgets and overcome the states’ deficits. No one knows how exactly it will flesh out or how everyone will be made happy by bringing gambling into the states. It is the first time each state is tampering with new gaming laws and legislators are debating how the laws should read. The only real law so far is the UIGEA. That is a law that targeted financial institutions. It focused on hampering banks from handling transactions to deposit or withdraw money if they were related to gambling online. The biggest problem states had was that due to the lack of ways for people to gamble, sent them to offshore gambling operators. Though the state legislators initially thought that the UIGEA, or Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, of 2006 would thwart gambling, all it did was send gamblers out of the country…along with millions of dollars.

Now, states learned their lessons and want to bring in gambling. The problem lies in how to regulate the hobby for the purpose of maximizing revenue. That is what legislators are tasked with doing now as 2010 begins. They want to create a law that unlike the UIGEA, efficiently regulates gambling and opens the door for states to reap the rewards.

Opponents of a proposed slots casino at Arundel Mills mall stated that they have collected enough signatures to force a public vote on whether zoning for the facility should be allowed. The group, comprised of anti-slots activists and horse-racing industry representatives, stated that they have submitted 23,702 voter signatures to the Anne Arundel County Board of Elections.  To put the measure on the county’s November ballot only 18,970 signatures were needed. Paid petition signature gatherers were used to accrue the 24 thousand signatures.  The group faced a Friday deadline to submit the first half of the required signatures, which will then be verified by the Anne Arundel County Board of Elections for several days.

Rob Annicelli, president of the group Stop Slots said, “Without question, there is overwhelming opposition by Anne Arundel County citizens to placing a casino at Arundel Mills Mall.  The mall is not the right location for a slots casino and is not in the best interests of the citizens of Anne Arundel County.” A decision was made in December by the Anne Arundel County Council to allow the Cordish companies to build at 4,750 machine casino in the Arundel Mills mall.  This casino would be the largest of five facilities authorized by Maryland voters, and this is the decision the group hopes to overturn.

A representative of Cordish said Thursday night that the petition drive was riddled with problems Joe Weinberg, a managing partner for the company said in a statement that “It is our understanding from legal experts in the area of referendum petitions that there were massive irregularities, both legally and procedurally, in this petition drive.  This is common when signatures on a petition are gathered primarily by paid workers that are financially incentivized to produce signatures. Upon review, we are confident the referendum will be struck down as both legally invalid and lacking in the requisite valid signatures.” The Stop Slots group has teamed with the Maryland Jockey Club, the operators of Laurel Park, which would prefer the slots license go to the racetrack instead. The state is authorized to award only once license in Anne Arundel, which it has given to Cordish, pending zoning approval.

Finamore said, “We won! To win is the important thing, and to win by a wider margin than we lost last time speaks to a lot of things — the campaign we ran, the needs, the revenues we’ll produce. … It’s a great outcome.” GM of the racino Al Britton said that the differences this time were the strong desire to change the market around for th egood. He said, “Now we roll the sleeves up. We start the work recruiting and training and getting the facility ready to accept the games. We’ve got our work cut out for us, and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Regarding those against the gambling, the argument was that addictions would run rampant throughout the community if slot machines were brought into the fray. They also claime that the new jobs promised would “probably not be as many” and would be “low paying” jobs. The economy however is creating people with a “something is better than nothing” attitude. Finamore added, “People want jobs and if it turns out that instead of 500 jobs, we only create 450, they’ll be happy. That’s 450 families that are going to have an easier time of their bills.”

While many voters have changed positions since 2007 because of a new revenue-distribution formula that benefits local governments and schools, a Vote No group complains the track and the state still get too much money. They say residents face the threat of higher taxes for law enforcement, emergency services, road construction “and social services to address the needs of the many new low-wage workers brought in to fill positions.” They are claiming that the state is ill prepared to handle the door it just opened.

The unemployment rate in the state is more than 6% and the bottom line is that people need help– any help. Almost no one is willing to stand idly by and let the economy fix itself by itself. Rather, people are wanting to be proactive. If voting to bring slot machines to the state is what turns the economy around, then most people are ready to do it.  The big concerns about ethics and addictions are going to be addressed slowly. For now, the new racino owners are ecstatic.

This past week an initiative to allow 5,000 slot machines into the Charles Town Races and Slots facility, in Charles Town, West Virginia, passed. Voters came together to agree and let the slots build up the casino. The main impetus for the positive votes was the proposed job creation of 500 various employment opportunities and the positive effects that has on the community as a whole.

When polls closed track officials were overjoyed to announce the victory. The vote for the slot machines was 6,279 to 4,343. It’s interesting that the decision was not split down the middle as it has been with many other votes throughout the country. It’s not uncommon to have a 51/49% vote on the issue of slots. Many other states are looking to bring slot machines in to increase revenue-generating activities within the state. It’s one of the most lucrative ways state legislators have of funding improvements, education and any other budget issue that lacks funding due to the recession and its aftermath.

John Finamore, Senior VP of Charles Town Races and Slots, said, “We are thrilled. We are relieved. And come Monday, we are going to start delivering on our promises. I can’t wait to start filling those $45,000 jobs we promised.”  In terms of voting, both sides of the slots issue campaigned hard for people to come out and voice their opinion. Their campaigning worked as 33,000 registered voters were reached via their extensive advertising plan. Voters were inundated with the issue via billboards, radio advertising, TV advertising, Facebook, personal phone calls and newspaper ads.  The issue was such a hefty one that huge budgets were used to bring the two opinions to the public. Spokespeople and city officials hashed it out in the public prior to the vote.

It was just two years ago that a vote was cast where voters decided against the slot machine addition. They were not in favor of bringing the change to the racetrack. Industry experts are citing the change in the economy as a major motivator for people to want slot machines to be used in the market. Plus, those for the issue were promoting job creation hard to the masses.

Part two coming next.

Ohio is still working hard to sort out their slots issues. Governor Stickland is suporting the postponement of a budgeted reduction in income taxes that came into effect on September 30th. The Governor is stating the postponement is the best option for the state as they try to figure out the $851 million deficit in educational funding. The shortfall in funds is a difficult one to manage and Strickland was hoping to use revenues from slots as a way to close the gap on teh huge cost to the state. Unfortunately the Ohio Supreme Court just decided that to use slots in the state as funding there must be an official voter referendum. In other words, the people need to decide if this is acceptable and make the decision for their state.

Though slots were approved by the Governor, now things are up in the air until the referendum vote decides the outcome. One of the organizations petitioning for the vote was LetOhioVote.org. This is a group that, just like their name implies, is trying to let the state citizens vote on whether or not they believe that slot machine revenues are a desired way of funding government programs, education and other funding needed to close the gap on the huge deficit in the budget. LetOhioVote.org has made headlines as of late due to their active campaigning for signatures that would secure the decision for the state to let people decide on the issue.

In 2005, legislation approved a lowering of personal income tax rates by 4.2% each year from 2005 throughout 2009 in the state. This means that a family that earned, say $50,000, the delay in the income tax reduction play would produce a tax bill approximately $80 more than they normally would have paid. Strickland is hoping that the income tax change is a more reasonable action than laying off teachers or suspending educational programs.  Without slots revenue, Stickland said that the satate funding would have to be decreased by 10% and in two years the total cuts would add up to approximately $37.9 million.  It will most likely be an issue that will be settled by the people of the state when the referendum is voted on in 2010.

December 7th is the day Arundel Mills mall will know whether or not they can open a slots casino. Mall officials and voters both approved the move via a referendum earlier this year. Though they have been vocal about their feelings on the casino, County Council members have not. They have for the most part been tight-lipped about the issue. That has brought a lot of problems for them because everyone wants to know what decisions may be made on the 7th.

Ron Dillon, councilman, has been the only official who has come out with support for the casino. And Jamie Benoit, also a councilman, has voice his opinion against it. Despite those two opinions, there has been little else divulged by the council and that is making things difficult to gauge.  The December 7th meeting will be held to face the issue, but much of the meeting is already scheduled for a revolving door of council members. Councilwoman Cathy Vitale will turn over the gavel to Councilman Ed Middlebrooks, who promised to call for a vote on this issue. Councilman Josh Cohen is resigning on December 6th as he moves to his new position as Annapolis Mayor. Trish Johnson is filling in for Ed Reilly because he left to fill a Senate Seat vacated by Senator Janet Greenip.

When the vote is called the question on everyone’s mind will be: Should the zoning laws change to allow Cordish Company to build the casino at Arundel Mills mall? Industry insiders are predicting that the city council will grant Cordish the license. There are various reasons the move could prove beneficial to the city. One is the added revenue that would be brought into the economy. Another is the job creation issue. The city is looking for creating a substantial number of jobs because of the overwhelming unemployment rate of the area. The recession took its toll on the community. December 7th is the date when the vote will take place and many parties are personally invested in the outcome. Only time will tell whether or not the community will benefit from a casino facility.