Ohio House Votes to Eliminate Slot Machines

Gov. Ted Strickland who, along with Attorney General Marc Dann have been trying to outlaw slot machines in the state, have finally won one in their favor. The Ohio House overwhelmingly voted to eliminate slot machines yesterday, and Strickland and Dann could not be happier. They voted to ban games with cash payouts or prizes worth more than $10, and it bans tournaments in which the house takes a cut of the proceeds.

By banning tournament play, the House said that they were able to thwart those that use tournaments to get around the law. They say that they are trying to get around those that get around the law by taking basically a pre-emptive strike. The law that was approved was much like the Executive Order passed by Strickland that many had objections to.

The bar and business owners are obviously upset because they say that they will lose more money than they can afford to with the banning of the slot machines. They say that they are already hurting from the smoking ban, and if the slot machine ban becomes law they will see many of them have to close their doors.

The Senate gets the bill next, and many expect it to pass. If it does the slot machines will disappear quickly, and there will be much tougher criminal penalties for those who choose to continue operating the slot machines. They say that the slot machines that don’t pay out for more than the $10 can stay, but they say that they will see how many of them stay once they can no longer make money off of them.

 

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