Monday, May 16, 2005 | 9:34 a.m.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Backers of a statewide ballot issue to let Ohio cities decide whether they want casino gambling passed their first test Friday when Attorney General Jim Petro, a gambling opponent, approved the language that will appear on petitions that will be circulated.
The next step under Ohio law is to collect the signatures of 322,899 registered voters, or 10 percent of the total vote for governor in 2002, by Aug. 10. The signatures must come from at least 44 of Ohio's 88 counties.
The amendment to the Ohio Constitution would permit cities of 50,000 or more, or counties with a tourist attraction that draws at least 1 million people each year to decide by a vote of their residents whether they want casino gambling.
The mayors of Cleveland, Cincinnati, Lorain and other cities have said casinos would help their slumping economies. Opponents say they would bring prostitution and other crime while causing hardships for families of problem gamblers.
Petro's approval came after two other attempts to get the language on petitions. Gerald Austin, a Cleveland political consultant who is coordinating the campaign, said getting Petro's approval cost him valuable time.
"The first step is to have the language approved. This step has taken seven weeks, but we're over that hurdle," Austin said.
Petro said the two previous submissions did not meet requirements for ballot language. The first left out information in the proposed amendment outlining the state's regulatory power and the second was too long and would confuse voters, Petro said.
Petro's office also said in a news release that the attorney general opposes gambling and will make sure that petition circulators follow the law.
Ohio is different than in 1990 and 1996, when voters soundly rejected ballot issues that would have put gambling in specific cities, Austin said. Indiana, Michigan and West Virginia all have some type of gambling and Pennsylvania soon will have slot machines at racetracks.
"Ohioans who drive to these places - I'm not talking about Las Vegas - are spending $200 million to $300 million a year just on betting," Austin said.
Austin said he's lining up backers to pay for the signature-gathering but would not identify them.
Opponents have already begun a campaign that will be stepped up now that signatures are being collected, said David Zanotti, president of the Ohio Roundtable, a conservative advocacy group, and a leader in the defeat of the 1990 and 1996 issues.
"We'll up our appearances and maybe up our debates, maybe throw a TV commercial out there. We're ready for them," Zanotti said.
Indian tribes, racetrack owners, lawmakers and others who want to attract casinos are also working on plans to put the issue on the ballot, either by legislation or initiative.
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