On March 20th, 2008, Gov. Ted Strickland's plan to introduce keno related electronic gaming machines in restaurants and bars seems to be headed for the trash bin. Lawmakers that are members of the Republican Party put the lid on the gaming expansion of the Ohio Lottery Commission just this week by confiscating the checkbook from the administration and then debuting a legislation that will need public hearings and a possible demise for the legislation. Strickland commented that he is not happy with the latest development.
Strickland commented that the responsibility of making sure that the state service are continued to be given to the citizens of Ohio is divided between the officials of his administration and the legislature. Strickland commented that the federal government is not paying attention to the present condition of the states in the ongoing decline of the U.S. economy and that they have to make a tough decision in order to answer the needs of the residents of the state.
Back in January, Strickland announced that the predicted profits in the span of eighteen months would be lacking of spending plans by $733 million up to $1.9 billion. At that point of time, Governor Strickland announced his intention to put keno-type lottery gaming machines that some opponents said are like slot machines in pubs and bars to produce the needed amount of $73 million in the current fiscal year from July 1st, 2008 up to June 30th, 2009.
Aside from that, the lottery commission announced that they were rescinding a proposal from the State Controlling Board to spend $18 million on keno gaming machines after legislators from the Republican Party said that they will not approve of the proposal. The keno games would give players the opportunity to play the game every four minutes during the operating hours approved by the state.
Strickland commented that the lottery commission rescinded the request to give legislators additional time to review the plan and to have any questions resolved. But it was widely believe that Gov. Strickland will hold the Republican legislators for any cuts his budget plans will suffer should the keno plans not prosper.
[03-04]
John Sullivan
