Gambling news from http://www.thisweeknews.com/
October 26, 2006
Voters will see up to four statewide ballot issues Nov. 7, including Issue 3, a citizen petition constitutional amendment that would allow seven race tracks to be designated gambling areas.
The constitutional amendment also specifically names the Nautica Entertainment Complex and the Tower City complex, both on the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, as additional areas where gambling may be offered, and provides that Cuyahoga County voters may approve full casinos at Nautica and Tower City.
The constitutional amendment applies only to the specific race tracks currently in existence and would not apply to other race tracks that may open.
All gambling revenues would be specifically exempted from all fees and taxes.
Except for Nautica and Tower City, where voters in Cuyahoga County may approve casinos that include "live gambling" games involving cards, dice and other such casino games, the gambling authorized by the amendment includes any "device or machine" that pays rewards according to chance.
The amendment refers to "slot machines," which are defined as including any such device, even if payment to the device is not made by coin and payouts are not made at the machine.
The amendment authorizes 3,500 slot machines at each location, although the nine locations may transfer their allocations to other facilities in the same county where they are located.
The amendment proposes that a share of the net revenue shall be paid to various state purposes, including education, economic development, and the cost of an authority to regulate the gaming industry.
The amendment also proposes that a share of the revenue from Nautica and Tower City (6 percent of device revenue, not including live gambling revenue) shall be paid to increase the amount of the simulcast purse provided for horse racing.
Before the share paid to the state for public purposes is calculated, various expenses of the gambling facility owners shall be deducted. The deductions shall include "personal property" prizes paid to customers (excluding their travel, food and hotel expenses), payment of gambling prizes, and all cash payments to purchase annuities that are used to pay gambling prizes.
In addition, gambling revenue shall be used to pay for a state regulatory body, up to a maximum of the 1 percent of gambling revenues after the deductions described above.
The amendment also provides that 6 percent of gambling revenue from the facilities located at horse tracks shall be used to increase the purse for horse racing gambling.
Among payments to be made to public entities are a one-time payment of $15-million each from Nautica and Tower City, which shall be paid $15-million to Cuyahoga County and $15-million to the city of Cleveland.
In addition, gambling revenues from devices -- but not including any future gambling revenues from casinos -- shall, after deductions described above, be paid according to the following percentages:
Ñ 30 percent paid to the state for scholarships
Ñ 1 percent paid to the state for gambling addiction services
Ñ 0.6 percent to the municipality or township in which each facility is located
3 percent to the county in which each facility is located and the county seat of that county
Ñ In addition to other money paid to Cuyahoga County and the city of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and the city of Cleveland shall each also receive 0.8 percent of the net statewide gambling revenues
Ñ 0.4 percent that shall be divided up and paid in equal shares to all counties that have a population of at least 750,000 persons and not more than one permitted commercial horse racing track, and the county seat of such county
Ñ 2.4 percent that shall be paid to the state to distribute as it sees fit to all other counties.
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