Legal Ire Focused on Slot Machines

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland has a plan to install video slot machines at Ohio's horse racing tracks. The only problem with this is that residents of the state don't want them. Many people actually voted in Gov. Strickland because they thought that he was against slot machines, which is what he said at the time. However, he has since changed his mind, and has pushed forward a bill that would legalize slot machines in the state. 

But not everyone is taking the new slot machine addition lying down. The Ohio Christian Alliance is bringing a lawsuit against the state asking the Ohio Supreme Court to stop the slot machine plan on constitutional grounds. They are seeking a preliminary and possibly permanent injunction ordering the governor, the Ohio Lottery Commission, and the Lottery Commission Director Kathleen Burke to stop the plan to bring in the slot machines. 

The group says that the last-minute changes in the budget bill that are allowing the slot machines to be legal are unconstitutional. They say that the state does not have the authority to expand to the lottery to include slot machine management. If Strickland's plan is put through the state would see the installation of 17,500 slot machines at a seven racetracks across the state. The Ohio Lottery would be responsible for the implementation and management of the machines. 

However the Alliance says that the General Assembly does not have the right to change the terms of the lottery to allow slot machines to be legalized. This is the third lawsuit brought against the state and filed with the Supreme Court that challenges the legalization of slot machines.

Back to Monthly Archive // Main Slot Machine News Index