(WXYZ) - Now that voters in Ohio have approved a constitutional amendment that will allow four casinos to be built in the state, some wonder how Detroit's casinos will be affected.
The measure, which was backed by Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert and former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, passed by a 53% to 47% margin. It allows for one casino each in Toledo, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus.
Gilbert will be the principal stakeholder in the Cincinnati and Cleveland casinos. The Toledo casino will be built along the Maumee river, near I-75, about 10 miles from the Michigan/Ohio state line. Both it and the Columbus casino will be operated by Penn National Gaming.
This is the fifth time casino gambling has come up for a vote in Ohio. Supporters of the measure argued that the state needed it because all of the state's bordering Ohio, with the exception of Kentucky, already had casino gaming in place. They argued that drained as much as a billion dollars from the state's economy a year.
Critics of the measure say it doesn't go far enough to protect the state's interests. They say the tax rate for the casinos will be too low. They also say that awarding the licenses without competitive bidding is not fair. At least one state representative says he is already planning on introducing a ballot initiative that would amend the plan with a higher tax rate and put the licenses up for bidding.
