With The Field: Regional racino jobs advance in Ohio!

By Joanne Huist Smith, Staff Writer

Updated 8:49 PM Monday, July 2, 2012Article - Click Here

DAYTON — Construction of a $125 million harness racing track — Hollywood Slots at Dayton Raceway — could get under way this fall and open in 2014.

“I don’t think there is anything to be but excited,” standardbred racehorse owner Tom Gray said. “I think Ohio is going to be the heart of harness racing once again.”

Penn National Gaming Inc. on June 30 filed for permission with the Ohio State Racing Commission to relocate racetracks from Columbus and Toledo to Austintown and Dayton, respectively. The slot-equipped Dayton racetrack will encompass 125 acres on the site of a former Delphi automotive plant near Wagner Ford and Needmore roads.

In addition to up to 1,500 slot machines per track, both new properties will feature restaurants and bars.

“We are hopeful we can receive state approval in a timely manner, allowing us to break ground this fall on the new facilities in the Mahoning Valley and in Dayton,” Tim Wilmott, president and COO of Penn National Gaming, said.

Shelley Dickstein, Dayton’s assistant city manager for strategic development, said Penn has been meeting with city staff to discuss particulars of the development plan such as zoning issues, wellfield protection and traffic enhancements long with the design of the facility.

“Everything seems to be moving forward,” Dickstein said.

Penn also filed with the Ohio Lottery Commission for video lottery sales agent licenses for its Ohio racetracks.

“Filing for VLT licenses and formally requesting that the Racing Commission approve our relocation plans is another major step forward for these two significant economic development projects,” Wilmott said.

The VLT license applications must go through administrative reviews, which includes criminal and financial background checks of the applicant.

“It’s not going to happen overnight. It’s going to take a few months,” Danielle Frizzi-Babb, spokeswoman for the Ohio Lottery Commission said.

Under terms of a memorandum of understanding with Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s office, Penn National has agreed to pay, over time, a $75 million relocation fee for each racetrack, in addition to the $50 million VLT license fee per track.

Robert Schmitz, chairman of the state racing commission, said the change in rules reflecting the relocation fee likely will be considered by the commission at a July 19 meeting.

The new rules then come under review by the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR), which includes members from the Ohio House and Senate, to determine if they exceed the scope of the filing organization’s legal authority, conflict with the intent of law, or conflict with another rule of the same agency or a different rule-making agency.

“I can’t do anything until the rule is effective,” Schmitz said, adding JCARR reviews takes 75 to 90 days. “Once the rule is effective, we’ll probably move expeditiously.”

Owners of a second racino being planned approximately 30 miles from the Dayton track near Monroe in Warren County, said they are not deterred by the close proximity of Penn’s planned attraction.

Miami Valley Gaming and Racing, LLC., a joint venture of Delaware North Companies Gaming and Entertainment and Churchill Downs Inc., want to build a $255 million racetrack near the intersection of Ohio 63 and Union Road in Turtlecreek Twp. after they purchase the gaming license from the Lebanon Raceway.

“We are proud to be building off Lebanon Raceway’s more than 60-year tradition of harness racing in Southwestern Ohio, and are moving forward with a new gaming and raceway facility along the I-75 corridor,” the company said in a statement.

Justin McClellan contributed to this report. Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2362 or josmith@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Harness Racing: Ohio Casino Bill

Springfield News Sun Article

COLUMBUS — Ohio lawmakers sent 20 bills to the governor’s desk last week after a busy month in the Statehouse before starting their summer break.

Among them are the main mid-biennium budget corrections bill that makes changes to almost every state agency, new rules for energy companies and limits on how much water can be withdrawn from Lake Erie. The lesser-known bills establish safeguards to insurance offered through fraternal benefit societies and designate June as Ohio Wines Month.

Lawmakers will return to Columbus next week to tie up a few loose ends but the rest will have to wait until after the November election.

What passed

Gov. John Kasich proposed dozens of policy changes in the first “mid-biennium budget review” in March, and two of the biggest pieces now await his signature.

The main policy bill lacks Kasich’s planned income tax cut tied to increased oil and gas taxes but includes the bulk of his minor policy changes. Lawmakers added $30 million to reward nursing homes that go above and beyond requirements, $42 million for Clean Ohio projects, $3 million to study algae blooms and $13 million in grants to support reading instruction in early grades.

Legislators said Kasich will likely veto line items with a price tag.

The massive bill also allows teens to take all 24 classroom hours of driver’s education online and drivers sentenced to remedial driving courses to take all lessons online.

Touted as one of the best energy policies in the country, Senate Bill 315 sets new rules for drilling and hydraulic fracturing as the oil and gas industry prepares to ramp up activity in Ohio’s shale gas formations. Hydraulic fracturing, often called “fracking,” involves pumping millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals into the earth to release oil, gas and natural gas liquids.

Environmental advocates say the procedure causes water contamination, earthquakes and other problems not clearly known. The new law requires well operators to disclose chemicals used to drill and hydraulically fracture a well, with an exception for chemicals they consider a “trade secret.”

Well operators have to disclose all chemicals to doctors treating people injured by well construction and production and could be fined up to $20,000 daily for safety and environmental violations.

The General Assembly passed new gambling regulations just days after Ohio’s first casino opened in Cleveland and before the first “racino” opened in Columbus. The law creates rules for casinos, as well as bingo halls and “racinos” composed of video lottery terminals at horse tracks — including ones proposed for the Dayton-Warren County area.

Cities that host racinos will get $1 million each year for two years and possibly more for infrastructure and other costs.

The law puts a one-year moratorium on new Internet sweepstakes cafes, but lawmakers removed rules for charity card rooms to consider in a separate bill.

Kasich praised the General Assembly for its work on a new exotic animal law that bans new ownership and requires current owners to follow certain caretaking standards, obtain a permit by 2014 and insure their animals up to $1 million depending on the quantity owned.

Unfinished business

Sessions have been scheduled for the week of June 11, when lawmakers hope to pass the governor’s education policy bill and the Cleveland schools plan.

The education bill passed the Senate with several changes but stalled in the House due to disagreements about toughening the state’s law retaining third-graders who can’t read at grade level and provisions added by the House that include establishing charter schools for gifted students across the state.

Senators and representatives told the Dayton Daily News the differences in the two plans can be remedied before a vote is taken next week.

Disagreements between Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and teachers’ unions over a proposed panel to approve charter schools kept the Cleveland schools plan from moving forward last month. In a compromise, Jackson scaled back the panel’s power to an advisory role and other changes were made requiring bill revisions.

Lawmakers will likely pass the school reform plan so Jackson can build support for a new tax levy on the November ballot.

The Senate also didn’t have enough time to pass a bill aimed at cracking down on human trafficking. The bill would make human trafficking a first-degree felony with a 10- to 15-year prison sentence and allow victims to sue traffickers in civil court.

On the back burner

Proposals to cut funding to Planned Parenthood and to drug-test welfare recipients were inserted and later removed from the governor’s main budget bill. But both bills are alive as separate measures, and lawmakers plan to examine both proposals during the summer and review them again in the fall.

Variations of the two bills have been enacted or are being considered in other states.

Landline phone customers don’t have to worry whether their service will end next year. Lawmakers on the House Public Utilities Committee said they won’t move forward with a bill that would allow telephone companies to withdraw landline phone service in “competitive” areas.

The state’s last major overhaul of telecom law two years ago required a legislative study on the impact of increased service fees and longer time to restore service, and lawmakers said the study should be completed before making more changes.

Ohio AARP members phoned their legislators in opposition to the bill, which many feared would force seniors and people living in poverty to pay more for basic service.

Other bills sent 
to the governor

Senate Bill 202: Land owners would not be liable for death and injury of trespassers except in certain situations.

Senate Bill 245: Would require used-car dealers to take six to 24 hours of training on state and consumer protection laws as part of their certification.

House Bill 207: Designates the first week of April as Ohio Coal Miners Week.

House Bill 322: Allows Ohio banking institutions to charge the same interest rates as out-of-state banks.

House Bill 326: Restricts use of public funds for campaign purposes.

House Bill 473: Sets water use limits for Lake Erie as part of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Compact.

House Bill 491: Designates June as Ohio Wines Month.

Scioto Racino Signals New Era In Ohio Racing

The action on the track at Scioto Downs was hot Friday night, but not nearly as hot as the action in the adjacent racino as the Columbus track ushered in a new era in Ohio racing.

Thousands poured through the doors of the opulent new gaming facility and liked what they saw. They marveled at the décor and the array of video lottery terminals, then set about enjoying the action at the only racino in the Buckeye State.


Friday was clearly the most historic night at Scioto Downs since the track opened in 1959, and everyone in Ohio harness racing has been waiting for this day. In the coming months, the racino will generate substantial sums for the state of Ohio and also begin to produce funds for horse owners, breeders, trainers and drivers.


On the track, the featured Fillies & Mares Open Pace went to the pretty grey mare Ocean Pearl, reined by trainer-driver Chip Noble. He sent her directly to the front from post five and she set all the fractions to win by two and a quarter lengths in 1:55.3.


Sent off as the favourite as odds of almost 3-1, Ocean Pearl paid $7.40 to win. The four-year-old mare is owned by Sandra Burnett of Ohio.


The 7-2 choice C R Hope tried in vain to catch the leader for driver Kyle Ater, but wound up second best. Keen Supreme finished third.


In the Open II trotting feature, B Vs Sister led all the way for driver Chris Page to win easily in 1:57.3 over Not To Be Denied and Lord Andover. The even-money favourite is owned by Kenneth Sommer of Ohio.


(Scioto Downs)