Ohio casino vote stirs sense of urgency in Kentucky, Indiana

“Clearly, the time to act on expanded gaming is now,” Beshear said, calling on lawmakers to pass his bill to put video-lottery terminals at Kentucky’s horse tracks so the state doesn’t lose gambling money to Ohio.

That plan passed the House in a special summer session but died in the Senate.

“It will push us,” said Kenley, R-Noblesville. “The state gets a little over $800 million in taxes from casinos and local governments get $300 million. There’s going to be a desire to protect that revenue stream.”

The Hoosier gambling industry wants tax breaks to help expand, build new amenities or bolster promotions in advance of the projected 2012 opening date of the new downtown Cincinnati casino.

The new Ohio gambling venues — one each in Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland and Toledo — will be the state’s first foray into casinos, although the issue has been debated there for years. The proposed constitutional amendment — approved 53 percent to 47 percent — marked the fifth time that Ohio voters have considered gambling.

The Ohio legislature now has six months to pass casino development legislation. Groundbreaking is expected to begin in about a year, and barring major problems the four casinos could open in 2012.

“Ohio citizens are going to reap the benefits of thousands of new jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue,” Beshear said Wednesday.

Kentuckians “deserve to keep those dollars at home and see the real and immediate benefits in our economy — supporting our schools and building our roads,” he said. “Time is of the essence, and we can’t afford to wait any longer.”