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Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2011 > April > 25 > Entry
UPDATED - Penn National breaks ground for new Columbus casino
Penn National Gaming on Monday broke ground for a new $400 million Columbus casino, despite an ongoing legal battle with the city of Columbus over annexation and water and sewer service.
Also, Gov. John Kasich, who did not attend the groundbreaking, has talked about getting more revenue from four new casinos than required by a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2009.
Tim Wilmott, Penn National president and chief operating officer, said the new casino is set to open in about 18 months, although he added “it’s very tough to predict” what the impact of pending litigation might be.
He also said that he was encouraged that Kasich recently has hired two consultants to develop a comprehensive policy on gambling for the state.
The terms of the 2009 constitutional amendment provide a “very competitive” economic model, said Wilmott.
It requires the company to pay a $50 million license fee and also a 33 percent tax on gross revenues.
The 300,000-square foot casino is being built on the site of a former Delphi automotive plant. It is expected to create 3,500 jobs during construction and 2,000 jobs once it opens, a press release said.
It will open with 3,000 slot machines, 70 table games, a poker room with 300 tables and restaurants and an entertainment lounge.
The groundbreaking came even though the city and company are in a legal dispute over annexation of the casino site. The dispute involves providing water and sewer service to the casino. The site is actually in Franklin Township, just outside Columbus, and Wilmott said company officials now are dealing with the township on casino development.
Ohio voters in 2009 approved a constitutional amendment to permit casinos in Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Toledo.
Comments
By teri
April 26, 2011 12:23 PM | Link to this
would like to no when there starting to take resumes and applications! and where?
By larry green
April 25, 2011 3:48 PM | Link to this
I love how Columbus told the casino NOT to build downtown, then when it gets a place to build it tells them the former GM plant cant have water (though GM did) unless it annexes
By RealityBytes
April 25, 2011 2:10 PM | Link to this
Bad deal for Ohio? You mean the Constitutionally protected, immune from most codes and other regulations that might impinge upon the business, Casinos? Yeah, they are a bad deal for Ohio.
By sharon
April 25, 2011 11:49 AM | Link to this
Sure hope Governor can manage the money he gets from the casino better than the money from the lottery has been managed. We were promised when the lottery came the schools would be funded and we wouldn’t have to have any more levys voted in to support the schools, well that didn’t happen did it.
By Should I Be Worried?
April 25, 2011 10:21 AM | Link to this
I hope these casinos don’t turn into a bad deal for Ohio…like the stadiums in Cincinnati are a bad deal for Hamilton County.