CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio -- Voters said no to building a casino in Ohio, but has the souring economy changed people's minds?
Another was proposal trying to work its way to the ballot. The newest proposal suggested bringing casinos to four Ohio cities, including Columbus.
NBC 4's Mike Bowersock reported on WHERE IT STOOD.
The Ohio Jobs and Growth Committee said the casino proposal would lead to $1 billion in private investment, $600 million in yearly tax revenue and create 20,000 new jobs.
Casinos would be built in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo.
The committee is same one that tried to bring a casino to the Wilmington, Ohio, area last year but failed.
Bowersock talked to some possible players who said they would love a chance to put down their money in a Columbus casino.
Adult arcades are the closest Central Ohio can get to a casino currently.
In small towns around Columbus there are adult arcades where it can be argued the computer slot machines are either games of skill or games of chance.
So if you win in the arcade, you win groceries or you win gas cards or prizes, but you don't win cash, so technically it's not a casino, Bowersock said.
The arcade visitors Bowersock spoke with in Circleville said, you bet, they'd go to a Columbus casino.
"I would go. We drive to Argosy couple of times a month. We were down there last weekend," Cheryl Nicholson said.
Nicholson said she and a friend counted the vehicles at Argosy with Ohio plates. She said there were more than 500.
"As long as the state gets the tax, fine, we could use it. It's put more people to work, and the state could use the tax," arcade player Don Lambert said.
Of course, the proposal would have to stand up to a vote – just as did the last one that failed.
There would be a yes vote from the small arcade in Circleville, at least.
"The government shouldn't have any right to tell me what I can do with my money," Nicholson said.
The proposal promised 20,000 jobs and $1 billion investment.
Bowersock said that proposal could be harder to turn down with the state of the economy.
For additional information, stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com -- Where Accuracy Matters.
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