Voting for casinos remains a gamble

Afriend said her hand was itching the other day, which she read as a signal that she was going to quickly come into some money.

So she played a lottery number.

It was the wrong number.

Perhaps my friend should consider hand cream or a dermatologist when the itchy palm returns.

Casual gambling has become a way of life for many of us, and, increasingly, state and local governments. The bookies and race tracks have become virtual non-entities on matters of gaming. I'm not even sure gambling qualifies as a vice anymore.

We gamble in our churches. We gamble in our bars. We gamble on our jobs. And exactly three weeks from today, if Ohio voters pull an amazing about-face and approve state Issue 3, we will be gambling in Ohio casinos.

Documenting that we have become a nation of casual gamblers is easy. Gambling is everywhere. I've heard of office pools where people bet on who will advance on "American Idol."

I am a huge fan of casinos and their spin-off economic possibilities, but I am just a bit bothered by the state's rank desperation. The message subtly seeded into the campaign for Issue 3 is that our economic survival hangs in the balance. I don't like the sense of being pushed over a barrel of money when the barrel is clearly controlled by casino interests, who understand my desperation.

It was budget desperation that fueled Gov. Ted Strickland's ill-fated, slot parlor stunt, which was properly rejected by the Ohio Supreme Court. But now, with nearly every other Midwestern state and much of the nation vested in casino gambling, many feel that Ohio has no choice but to enter the game. That logic is fairly sound.

If voters don't legalize casinos, surrounding states will continue to raid our collective purses. If we reject casinos again, we will forfeit the considerable construction and gaming-related jobs that would provide a badly needed boost to the state's flagging economy....