Ohio Gaming Law is a centralized, online resource for those interested in gaming in Ohio. Whether you're a charitable organization, manufacturer, supplier, distributor, individual or company interested in gaming in Ohio, this site provides information regarding your gaming interests — including current Ohio gaming law, status of gaming-related legislation and political & public opinion highlights. Content on this site includes materials produced by Kegler, Brown, Hill & Ritter's staff and links to content produced by other entities concerned with gaming in Ohio.

May 17, 2013

• VLT Appeal
  Last year a Franklin County Common Pleas judge found that Ohio Roundtable had no legal standing to challenge the constitutionality of VLT’s at Ohio’s horse racing tracks.
• HB7
  The Senate is expected to vote next Wednesday on HB 7, a bill which would all but shut down the state’s Internet cafes.
• Bill to Regulate Internet Cafes Introduced
  HB 101 has been introduced. This proposed legislation calls for regulation rather than an outright ban of Internet cafes.
• National Park Service Nixes Cleveland Casino Skywalk
  The National Park Service has rejected plans by Rock Ohio to build a skywalk to connect the casino parking garage to the casino, claiming that the bridge would “negatively impact the historic character” of the Higbee Building and the Tower City Center, which are on the National Register of Historic Places.

May 8, 2013

• Casino Revenues Drop Slightly in April
  Ohio’s four casinos and one established racino all experienced deep declines in revenue for the month of April.

May 7, 2013

• Senate Passes SB115
  SB115, which extends the moratorium on Internet cafes to June 30, 2014, passed in the Ohio Senate unanimously.
• Racinos are a Go Again
  The Ohio State Racing Commission has approved the license transfers for Penn National Gaming to relocate its horse racing tracks at Beulah Park in Grove City to Austintown and Raceway Park in Toledo to Dayton.

May 6, 2013

• Cleveland Casino Second Phase
  As expected, Rock Ohio Caesars, owners of Horseshoe Cleveland, plan to buy the Higbee Building, current home of the Cleveland casino.

May 1, 2013

• New Proposal for Austintown Racino
  Penn National Gaming presented their fourth plan for the Austintown Racino to the Ohio State Racing Commission. Construction has been stopped over seating concerns.
• HB7 Now on the Fast Track
  Last month, it appeared HB 7 might not see action until 2014. Now Ohio Senate President Keith Faber is saying action will be taken by the end of May.

April 30, 2013

• Fewer Internet Cafes
  Turns out there aren’t as many Internet cafes as originally thought.
• Lawsuit Filed to Stop DeWine Crackdown
  Internet café owners in Lake County have filed a lawsuit in Franklin County to stop any raids in their county similar to the ones conducted in neighboring Cuyahoga County.
• Pennsylvania Casinos
  Ohio’s casinos appear to also be having an impact on Pennsylvania gaming establishments.

April 24, 2013

• Sweepstakes Café Industry to Be Heavily Regulated After All
  Pending house bill HB 7, which would severely restrict the economic incentives for sweepstakes café operators, recently stalled in the Ohio Senate.
• Indiana Casinos
  The opening of Horseshoe Cincinnati has had a negative impact on business at the three riverboat casinos in southeast Indiana for the month of March.
• Best Odds at Winning Slots
  Scioto Downs is the place with the best odds for gamblers with a payout percentage of 91.6.
• DeWine Begins Crackdown
  Less than one week after announcing his intentions to take legal action against Internet cafes, Attorney General Mike DeWine sprang into action.
• Indictments
  A day after DeWine’s briefing, a Cuyahoga County grand jury issued a 146-page indictment against eight companies and eleven people connected to Internet cafes.
• Cleveland Casino Fined
  Horseshoe Cleveland was fined $180,000 by the Ohio Casino Control Commission for violations of state gambling rules.
• Cleveland Casino Second Phase on Hold
  The current home of Horseshoe Cleveland, in the Higbee Building in downtown Cleveland, was supposed to be temporary until the Phase 2 casino was built on the riverfront.
• Work Halted on the Racinos
  Penn National Gaming has stopped work on racinos in Austintown and Dayton, as a result of the impasse with the state racing commission over additional indoor seating.

April 16, 2013

• Casino Revenues
  Ohio’s three established casinos all posted double digit increases in revenue for March.
• Thistledown Racino
  Ohio’s second racino opened on April 9. Opening day attracted more than 2,100 visitors.

April 15, 2013

• Racino Delays
  The Ohio Senate Committee on Workforce and Economic Development held informal meetings in Dayton and Austintown.
• DeWine to Shut Down Internet Cafes
  Tired of waiting on state legislators, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has said he will work with local law enforcement to take legal action to shut down Internet cafes statewide.

April 4, 2013

• Committee to Study Sweepstakes Cafes
  The Permanent Joint Committee on Gaming and Wagering plans to take a closer look at all gaming operations in Ohio, including casinos, racetrack VLT’s, charitable gambling and Internet cafes to see how the sweepstakes cafes fit into the big picture of gambling in the state.
• Austintown Racino
  The township trustee chairman is frustrated with the Ohio State Racing Commission and their insistence on more indoor seating at the Austintown racetrack.

April 1, 2013

• Christy Prince’s article, Gaming Law, was featured in the March/April issue of American Bar Association’s GPSOLO publication. With the numerous areas of practice for “gaming law” it’s essential to have good communication with state and local law enforcement officials.

March 28, 2013

• Internet Café Legislation on Hold
  HB 7, which would all but shut down sweepstakes cafes, could sit for months before the Ohio Senate reaches any sort of decision.
• Cleveland Internet Cafes Ruled Illegal
  The 8th District Court of Appeals has affirmed a 2012 Cleveland Municipal Court conviction of three Cleveland sweepstakes cafes accused of running illegal gambling operations.
• Internet Cafes Face a New Opponent
  Banks have joined the fight against sweepstakes cafes.
• Racinos Delayed
  The Ohio State Racing Commission is still dissatisfied with seating at the proposed racinos in Austintown and Dayton, as well as the Lebanon Raceway in Warren County.
• Thistledown
  Ohio’s second racino is scheduled to open April 9.

March 18, 2013

• VLT Lawsuit
  The 10th District Court of Appeals has upheld a Franklin County Court of Common Pleas decision that dismissed a lawsuit challenging VLT’s at Ohio’s horse racing tracks.

March 15, 2013

• Internet Sweepstakes Cafe Bill Passes House
  After several days of testimony from supporters and opponents of internet sweepstakes cafes before a House committee, House Bill 7, passed the Ohio House of Representatives by a 66-29 margin.
• Racinos
  The Ohio State Racing Commission listened to Penn National Gaming’s request for transferring racetrack licenses from Beulah Park in Grove City to Austintown, and from Raceway Park in Toledo to Dayton.

March 14, 2013

• Casino Revenues
  The casinos in Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo all experienced revenue increases in February.
• Casino Shortcomings
  Ohio’s casino revenues are well below what was projected to voters in 2009.
• Cincinnati Casino Opens
  Horseshoe Cincinnati became the fourth and final voter approved casino to open its doors.

February 18, 2013

• Cincinnati Casino Gets License
  The Ohio Casino Control Commission has unanimously approved a gambling license for the Cincinnati Horseshoe Casino, the fourth and final casino approved by voters in 2009.

February 11, 2013

• Casino Revenues
  Adjusted gross revenue increased in January at the Columbus and Toledo casinos, but experienced a significant drop-off at the Cleveland casino.
  
• Perry Township Internet Cafes
  Located in Stark County, Perry Township became the latest to enact fees against café owners in an attempt to curtail the number of establishments in their community.

February 8, 2013

• HB7
  Legislation that died on the Senate floor at the end of 2012 because lawmakers ran out of time to consider the bill has been reintroduced in this current legislative session.
• Racino News
  The Dayton City Commission unanimously approved Penn National’s development plans to build a racino at the site of a former Delphi plant.
• Columbus Casino Update
  Due to customer demand, the Hollywood Casino will be removing 500 slot machines and adding 6 poker tables.

January 21, 2013

• Fines
  Operators of Cleveland’s Horseshoe Casino were fined for violating Ohio Casino Control Commission regulations.
• Northfield Park Update
  Northfield Park has finally submitted its application to the Ohio Lottery Commission for its racino.
• VLT Lawsuit
  Oral arguments were heard in the 10th District Court of Appeals of Ohio on the appeal of the VLT lawsuit that was dismissed last year by a Franklin County Common Pleas judge.

January 17, 2013

• Internet Cafes
  Owners have organized in a group called the Internet Café Coalition of Ohio.

January 16, 2013

• Northfield Park Racino
  Work has begun on the Hard Rock racino at Northfield Park.
• Warren County Racino
  A second racino in the Dayton area is nearing the start of construction.

January 15, 2013

• River Downs Racino
  Demolition of the existing River Downs facility is expected to begin soon, then rebuild and re-open as a racino in 2014.
• Austintown Racino
  The site for the new racetrack with VLT facilities is being cleared, but actual construction will not begin before March 2013.

January 14, 2013

• Casino Revenues
  December revenues at Ohio’s three casinos reversed earlier trends.

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