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By Rick Armon
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 07:40 p.m. EDT, Oct 17, 2009
CLEVELAND: He's the majority owner of the most successful professional sports franchise in Ohio now.
His business ventures include the mortgage firm Quicken Loans, decal company Fathead and digital ticketing service Veritix.
He sits on numerous hospital boards and heads a loose group of leaders that Time magazine has dubbed the Committee to Save Detroit, where he lives.
He even coaches his 11-year-old son's baseball team.
Cavaliers owner Daniel Gilbert wants to add one more title to his lengthy resume: casino owner.
Gilbert, 47, the mortgage magnate who has been ranked by Forbes as one of the richest men in the United States, is helping to bankroll Issue 3 on the November ballot. The statewide casino proposal would amend the state Constitution to allow 24-hour Las Vegas-style casinos to be built in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and Toledo.
Gilbert, who along with his partners would control the Cleveland and Cincinnati markets, is using his business celebrity and the Cavs — in addition to an estimated $50 million campaign — to sway voters into accepting what they repeatedly have rejected: casino gambling.
He started a personal media crusade over the past few weeks by reaching out to newspapers, radio shows and television stations to push the casino plan and to remind voters about his contributions to the Cleveland area.
During the first Cavs exhibition game this year, Quicken Loans Arena was replete with advertising for Issue 3, and Gilbert delivered a personal message on the video scoreboard urging fans to approve the casino proposal. Supporters also handed out free ''Yes on 3'' T-shirts.
He will debate the issue Monday before the Cleveland City Club.
''I hope my track record is looked upon positively,'' he said during a recent interview with the Beacon Journal at Quicken Loans Arena, with the iconic, 10-story billboard of LeBron James just outside the conference room windows.
''We don't do this unless we have the credibility and a track record of what we put in the prior four years,'' Gilbert said.
Since he bought the Cavaliers for $375 million in 2005, Gilbert has brought the Quicken Loans Web Center, Lake Erie Monsters, Fathead and Veritix operations to Cleveland, and has built Cleveland Clinic Courts — the team's practice facility — in Independence. His companies here employ about 3,250 people.
The Gilbert name might make a difference for some voters, especially those in Northeast Ohio familiar with the success of the Cavs and his willingness to spend money on the team.
''People associate with a winner like that, and the Cavs are the big winners around the Cleveland-Akron, Northeast Ohio area,'' said William Shanklin, a visiting professor in the marketing department at the University of Akron. ''He's also identified as a winner in business with Quicken Loans. That will make a difference to a lot of people.''
Gilbert, who launched a small mortgage company with $5,000 he earned while delivering pizzas in college and later sold for $532 million, has a charismatic credibility and star quality for investing in the Cleveland area, observers said. His name also carries more weight now than some other high-profile local families — the Spitzers and Jacobses — who have pushed for casinos, they said.
For example, Gilbert isn't associated with selling cars — a low-moral activity in some people's minds, said Richard Perloff, director of the School of Communication at Cleveland State University and a national expert in the science of persuasion.
''He has done things that appear to be very good for Cleveland,'' Perloff said. ''He has a star quality that goes hand in hand with gambling.''
Tina Facca, an instructor at the Boler School of Business at John Carroll University, added: ''The other names might be a little bit more homegrown, and people are familiar with those names, but the stature that Gilbert brings is the stature of the team.''
There is no evidence that his involvement could tip the election in favor of the casino issue, experts said. The Gilbert name also probably doesn't resonate throughout Ohio, especially in southern counties, where there is no NBA team.
''Except among basketball fans, his name recognition is probably not likely to have a great impact on individual voters,'' said Eric Rademacher, co-director of the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati. ''If he were to become front and center in statewide advertising that went into heavy rotation, it's very possible that he could have a broader impact throughout the state.''
Casino backers said they haven't determined whether Gilbert will appear in any statewide advertising campaign.
Even the opposition acknowledges the Gilbert mystique and said the Cavs owner is leveraging his name because of that positive association.
''We recognize what he's done, but when people realize what's in the darn [ballot proposal], they aren't going to like it,'' said Sandy Theis, spokeswoman for TruthPAC, a group leading an anti-casino effort.
Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams, representing TruthPAC, will oppose Gilbert in Monday's debate.
Gilbert believes the voters will embrace this casino plan, which he said was crafted to avoid the pitfalls that doomed similar ballot issues.
He calls the previous efforts silly, even ridiculous.
Last year's effort was to put a casino in ''a cornfield'' in southern Ohio, he said.
The video slots proposal at horse-racing tracks?
Horse racing is a dying industry and it wouldn't produce the best boost for the economy, Gilbert said.
''In an economic time that we all know is horrendous, at least do it where it's going to create the most good,'' he said. ''And our view, bar none, is that if you put them in the urban cores and you do it right and don't make it into a bunker, you're going to have the best chance of creating something that will have off-casino economic activity. To me, that's the key to the whole thing.''
The Cavs, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Indians and Quicken Loans Arena — where the Cavs and the Lake Erie Monsters hockey teams play and concerts are held — bring about 4 million visitors to downtown a year. A casino would attract 8 million, he said.
Gilbert and the NBA
Gilbert has notified the National Basketball Association about his intentions. The league, which has become increasingly jittery about gambling, especially after the recent betting scandal with referee Tim Donaghy, has no rules barring team owners from operating casinos.
The Maloof family, owners of the NBA's Sacramento Kings, also owns the Palms casino in Las Vegas. Harrah's Entertainment Chief Executive and President Gary Loveman is a minority owner of the Boston Celtics.
The Palms and Harrah's aren't permitted to accept bets on Kings and Celtics games, respectively, at their casinos. (That wouldn't be a problem for Gilbert because the Ohio casinos wouldn't accept sports wagers.)
The Maloofs take advantage of the casino-Sacramento Kings relationship, making sure they cross-promote the businesses as much as possible, co-owner Gavin Maloof said.
Gilbert would be able to do the same with the Cavs and the Cleveland casino, he said.
Maloof praised Gilbert's business savvy.
''The voters should vote for it, especially with Dan at the helm,'' he said. ''He's a quality person.''
Asked what advice he would give Gilbert if the casino issue passed, Maloof said: ''My advice. . .is to hire people who know the casino business and make sure he hires experts. It's a different type of business.''
He also recommended serving only top-quality food and making the casino customer-friendly.
Gilbert's vision now is to build a casino along the Cuyahoga River next to Quicken Loans Arena.
In addition to $200 million in license fees paid to the state, the proposal requires $1 billion in private investment in the four cities. Backers also estimate the casinos will create 34,000 jobs — in construction and in permanent employment.
Opponents have been highly critical of the casino proposal. They say casino backers have inflated the potential tax revenue and job estimates.
One of the main objections is that Gilbert and others would have a Constitution-approved monopoly to operate the casinos. Unless, of course, other casino entrepreneurs undertake their own statewide ballot effort.
The constitutional amendment spells out specific sites in the four cities, and the casino backers have options to purchase those properties.
Penn National Gaming Inc. of Wyomissing, Pa., would oversee the Columbus and Toledo sites.
Gilbert and Penn National would reap the financial benefits while bars, restaurants and other businesses would suffer, said Jacob Evans, vice president of government affairs and general counsel for the Ohio Licensed Beverage Association in Columbus.
Ohio voters so far have sided against casinos, defeating two gambling issues in the past four years. Last year's proposal to build one casino in Southwest Ohio was rejected 62.4 percent to 37.6 percent.
The 2006 effort to put slots at the state's horse tracks and allow two casinos to be built in Cleveland was defeated 56.6 percent to 43.4 percent.
Tom Huchko, 62, of Wadsworth, said he intends to vote against casino gambling again. Gilbert's involvement means little to him, he said.
''I don't think the state should get into that business or allow that business,'' he said, adding that the social costs outweigh the potential economic benefits.
Making money
Gilbert said he doesn't gamble much these days because of his business commitments and his five children. When he does, his game of choice is craps.
Asked whether he won or lost more often when he did gamble, he wouldn't say.
''I look at it as entertainment,'' said Gilbert, who was busted for running an illegal bookmaking operation when at Michigan State University in 1981. ''Obviously, that's why casinos exist. The odds are slightly in favor of the casino over time and you're paying for that entertainment experience, I guess.
''The idea is not to look at it any way, shape or form that you're going to get ahead and make money. You have to look at it as entertainment.''
Unless, of course, you're the casino owner reaping in the profits.
''If we're going to invest $600 million in a new facility in Cleveland and $400 [million] in Cincinnati, or whatever the number is, you're certainly doing it to make a profit,'' Gilbert said. ''I think, though, if you look at our track records, we've plowed back any profits into long-term capital investments in cities. We're not scalpers.
''There's two type of businessmen in the world. There's scalpers who just look to buy something and raise the price and sell it. And there's other people who like to create. . . .We like to look at ourselves as guys who create wealth. The more you create, the more you give. . . .That's always been our view. It's worked for us.''
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com.
CLEVELAND: He's the majority owner of the most successful professional sports franchise in Ohio now.
His business ventures include the mortgage firm Quicken Loans, decal company Fathead and digital ticketing service Veritix.
He sits on numerous hospital boards and heads a loose group of leaders that Time magazine has dubbed the Committee to Save Detroit, where he lives.
He even coaches his 11-year-old son's baseball team.
Cavaliers owner Daniel Gilbert wants to add one more title to his lengthy resume: casino owner.
Gilbert, 47, the mortgage magnate who has been ranked by Forbes as one of the richest men in the United States, is helping to bankroll Issue 3 on the November ballot. The statewide casino proposal would amend the state Constitution to allow 24-hour Las Vegas-style casinos to be built in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and Toledo.
Gilbert, who along with his partners would control the Cleveland and Cincinnati markets, is using his business celebrity and the Cavs — in addition to an estimated $50 million campaign — to sway voters into accepting what they repeatedly have rejected: casino gambling.
He started a personal media crusade over the past few weeks by reaching out to newspapers, radio shows and television stations to push the casino plan and to remind voters about his contributions to the Cleveland area.
During the first Cavs exhibition game this year, Quicken Loans Arena was replete with advertising for Issue 3, and Gilbert delivered a personal message on the video scoreboard urging fans to approve the casino proposal. Supporters also handed out free ''Yes on 3'' T-shirts.
He will debate the issue Monday before the Cleveland City Club.
''I hope my track record is looked upon positively,'' he said during a recent interview with the Beacon Journal at Quicken Loans Arena, with the iconic, 10-story billboard of LeBron James just outside the conference room windows.
''We don't do this unless we have the credibility and a track record of what we put in the prior four years,'' Gilbert said.
Since he bought the Cavaliers for $375 million in 2005, Gilbert has brought the Quicken Loans Web Center, Lake Erie Monsters, Fathead and Veritix operations to Cleveland, and has built Cleveland Clinic Courts — the team's practice facility — in Independence. His companies here employ about 3,250 people.
The Gilbert name might make a difference for some voters, especially those in Northeast Ohio familiar with the success of the Cavs and his willingness to spend money on the team.
''People associate with a winner like that, and the Cavs are the big winners around the Cleveland-Akron, Northeast Ohio area,'' said William Shanklin, a visiting professor in the marketing department at the University of Akron. ''He's also identified as a winner in business with Quicken Loans. That will make a difference to a lot of people.''
Gilbert, who launched a small mortgage company with $5,000 he earned while delivering pizzas in college and later sold for $532 million, has a charismatic credibility and star quality for investing in the Cleveland area, observers said. His name also carries more weight now than some other high-profile local families — the Spitzers and Jacobses — who have pushed for casinos, they said.
For example, Gilbert isn't associated with selling cars — a low-moral activity in some people's minds, said Richard Perloff, director of the School of Communication at Cleveland State University and a national expert in the science of persuasion.
''He has done things that appear to be very good for Cleveland,'' Perloff said. ''He has a star quality that goes hand in hand with gambling.''
Tina Facca, an instructor at the Boler School of Business at John Carroll University, added: ''The other names might be a little bit more homegrown, and people are familiar with those names, but the stature that Gilbert brings is the stature of the team.''
There is no evidence that his involvement could tip the election in favor of the casino issue, experts said. The Gilbert name also probably doesn't resonate throughout Ohio, especially in southern counties, where there is no NBA team.
''Except among basketball fans, his name recognition is probably not likely to have a great impact on individual voters,'' said Eric Rademacher, co-director of the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati. ''If he were to become front and center in statewide advertising that went into heavy rotation, it's very possible that he could have a broader impact throughout the state.''
Casino backers said they haven't determined whether Gilbert will appear in any statewide advertising campaign.
Even the opposition acknowledges the Gilbert mystique and said the Cavs owner is leveraging his name because of that positive association.
''We recognize what he's done, but when people realize what's in the darn [ballot proposal], they aren't going to like it,'' said Sandy Theis, spokeswoman for TruthPAC, a group leading an anti-casino effort.
Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams, representing TruthPAC, will oppose Gilbert in Monday's debate.
Gilbert believes the voters will embrace this casino plan, which he said was crafted to avoid the pitfalls that doomed similar ballot issues.
He calls the previous efforts silly, even ridiculous.
Last year's effort was to put a casino in ''a cornfield'' in southern Ohio, he said.
The video slots proposal at horse-racing tracks?
Horse racing is a dying industry and it wouldn't produce the best boost for the economy, Gilbert said.
''In an economic time that we all know is horrendous, at least do it where it's going to create the most good,'' he said. ''And our view, bar none, is that if you put them in the urban cores and you do it right and don't make it into a bunker, you're going to have the best chance of creating something that will have off-casino economic activity. To me, that's the key to the whole thing.''
The Cavs, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Indians and Quicken Loans Arena — where the Cavs and the Lake Erie Monsters hockey teams play and concerts are held — bring about 4 million visitors to downtown a year. A casino would attract 8 million, he said.
Gilbert and the NBA
Gilbert has notified the National Basketball Association about his intentions. The league, which has become increasingly jittery about gambling, especially after the recent betting scandal with referee Tim Donaghy, has no rules barring team owners from operating casinos.
The Maloof family, owners of the NBA's Sacramento Kings, also owns the Palms casino in Las Vegas. Harrah's Entertainment Chief Executive and President Gary Loveman is a minority owner of the Boston Celtics.
The Palms and Harrah's aren't permitted to accept bets on Kings and Celtics games, respectively, at their casinos. (That wouldn't be a problem for Gilbert because the Ohio casinos wouldn't accept sports wagers.)
The Maloofs take advantage of the casino-Sacramento Kings relationship, making sure they cross-promote the businesses as much as possible, co-owner Gavin Maloof said.
Gilbert would be able to do the same with the Cavs and the Cleveland casino, he said.
Maloof praised Gilbert's business savvy.
''The voters should vote for it, especially with Dan at the helm,'' he said. ''He's a quality person.''
Asked what advice he would give Gilbert if the casino issue passed, Maloof said: ''My advice. . .is to hire people who know the casino business and make sure he hires experts. It's a different type of business.''
He also recommended serving only top-quality food and making the casino customer-friendly.
Gilbert's vision now is to build a casino along the Cuyahoga River next to Quicken Loans Arena.
In addition to $200 million in license fees paid to the state, the proposal requires $1 billion in private investment in the four cities. Backers also estimate the casinos will create 34,000 jobs — in construction and in permanent employment.
Opponents have been highly critical of the casino proposal. They say casino backers have inflated the potential tax revenue and job estimates.
One of the main objections is that Gilbert and others would have a Constitution-approved monopoly to operate the casinos. Unless, of course, other casino entrepreneurs undertake their own statewide ballot effort.
The constitutional amendment spells out specific sites in the four cities, and the casino backers have options to purchase those properties.
Penn National Gaming Inc. of Wyomissing, Pa., would oversee the Columbus and Toledo sites.
Gilbert and Penn National would reap the financial benefits while bars, restaurants and other businesses would suffer, said Jacob Evans, vice president of government affairs and general counsel for the Ohio Licensed Beverage Association in Columbus.
Ohio voters so far have sided against casinos, defeating two gambling issues in the past four years. Last year's proposal to build one casino in Southwest Ohio was rejected 62.4 percent to 37.6 percent.
The 2006 effort to put slots at the state's horse tracks and allow two casinos to be built in Cleveland was defeated 56.6 percent to 43.4 percent.
Tom Huchko, 62, of Wadsworth, said he intends to vote against casino gambling again. Gilbert's involvement means little to him, he said.
''I don't think the state should get into that business or allow that business,'' he said, adding that the social costs outweigh the potential economic benefits.
Making money
Gilbert said he doesn't gamble much these days because of his business commitments and his five children. When he does, his game of choice is craps.
Asked whether he won or lost more often when he did gamble, he wouldn't say.
''I look at it as entertainment,'' said Gilbert, who was busted for running an illegal bookmaking operation when at Michigan State University in 1981. ''Obviously, that's why casinos exist. The odds are slightly in favor of the casino over time and you're paying for that entertainment experience, I guess.
''The idea is not to look at it any way, shape or form that you're going to get ahead and make money. You have to look at it as entertainment.''
Unless, of course, you're the casino owner reaping in the profits.
''If we're going to invest $600 million in a new facility in Cleveland and $400 [million] in Cincinnati, or whatever the number is, you're certainly doing it to make a profit,'' Gilbert said. ''I think, though, if you look at our track records, we've plowed back any profits into long-term capital investments in cities. We're not scalpers.
''There's two type of businessmen in the world. There's scalpers who just look to buy something and raise the price and sell it. And there's other people who like to create. . . .We like to look at ourselves as guys who create wealth. The more you create, the more you give. . . .That's always been our view. It's worked for us.''
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com.
Comments
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Akron, OH
Posted 11:14 PM, 10/17/2009
vote yes on issue 3, hopefully dan gilbert can make enough money to buy the indians and browns and keep lebron
Akron, OH
Posted 12:09 AM, 10/18/2009
I admire Dan Gilbert, but it will be very hard to re-train these people to let some casinos in this state.
We need Issue 3, and anything else progressive for this economy.
columbus, oh
Posted 08:25 AM, 10/18/2009
I have nothing against Dan Gilbert, but his track record does nothing to convince me that I should vote for a bad casino deal for Ohio. The bottom line is that the tax rate they're proposing is too low. That's what happens when the casino owners write their own rules. Asking us to write it in our constitution that he gets a casino monopoly in Ohio isn't right either. Now they're under investigation for tampering with absentee ballots. I hope Dan Gilbert didn't have his hand in this, but the bottom line is that it's happening, and as a part of Issue 3 he is associated with it. There's no way I would vote for this issue.
Canton, OH
Posted 08:39 AM, 10/18/2009
Gilbert is a fool. . . .
Munroe Falls, Oh
Posted 09:21 AM, 10/18/2009
When Governor Gilligan shoved down our throats the Ohio lottery we were told there would never be the need for another tax levy again, the schools would be fully funded and everything would be fine. All we are getting between every year to every other year are school levies and we are going broke because we have to care more and more.
Now we are getting the same bill of goods that the same type of people are trying to pass. Forget the Cavs owner, all he is wanting is more money. It has nothing to do with community. VOTE NO ON THE ISSUE. IT'S NOT GOING TO HELP!
Akron, OH
Posted 09:51 AM, 10/18/2009
Why not keep all the Ohioans that go to Mountaineer, etc regularly in the state of Ohio so that we can reap the tax benefits instead of our neighboring states? I say yes on 3 as well. Obviously the state of Ohio needs more money, and this may prevent tax hikes put directly upon us residents.
Posted 09:56 AM, 10/18/2009
@IT. I agree, The Lottery has failed us, and that is why I am supporting this issue. The Lottery is collected by the state, and that money never seems to make its way to the communities where it belongs. Issue 3 gives the money directly to the counties, cities, and schools at a set percentage. If you want an idea of the difference between the two, just consider how many times a day you hear or see advaertisements for The Lottery? Paid for with our money. The Lottery deserves the competition the Casino would bring, and we deserve those tax dollars in the communities where they can make a difference.
medina, oh
Posted 11:02 AM, 10/18/2009
Sovensko lives in Canton, Ohio and sits around posting on Ohio.com, and says Gilbert, a guy who made himself one of the richest men in America, pays LeBron's salary, and employs over 3,000 people is a fool. Isn't life ironic?
Posted 11:32 AM, 10/18/2009
I am so sick of the "anti-gamblers" in Ohio, almost every excuse they have for not voting for it is unfounded: crime, jobs being filled by people from out of state (who if they move here they will be paying OHIO TAXES), not enough tax will be paid by the casinos (only $651 million in casino tax revenue will be generated each year), etc..., and the excuses that are some what valid, they have no alternative solutions. Ohio is dieing, companies are leaving, college graduates are leaving, the tax payers are taxed to the limits, and no one has an answer to fix it, but everyone has an answer how not to fix it. " No Gambling” Go ahead and vote no on issue 3, and ignore that our state is dieing. Maybe West Virginia or PA, or Michigan with their billions of dollars that we are spending in their casinos can just purchase us out of bankruptcy and just rename the sate and then add gambling. SO VOTE NO ON ISSUE 3 AND SUPPORT THE PITTSBURG STEELERS or THE MICHICAN WOLVEREINS, because we might become one of them when they purchase us out of bankruptcy with our gambling money we could of spent in our own state. Pathetic.
Posted 11:58 AM, 10/18/2009
One last thing, just say the no on issue 3 people are right and this turns out to be bad deal for Ohio if we amend the constitution to allow gambling, can we not write another amendment to not allow gambling if it turns out to be bad for Ohio, can we not at least give it a try, no one else has any ideas on how to fix Ohio, we vote no on issie 3 and we will never know who is right or wrong and Ohio will continue to slowly die as we all standby and do nothing. I would rather try something then just let our state slowly die.
Akron, OH
Posted 11:59 AM, 10/18/2009
"Since he bought the Cavaliers for $375 million in 2005, Gilbert has brought the Quicken Loans Web Center, Lake Erie Monsters, Fathead and Veritix operations to Cleveland, and has built Cleveland Clinic Courts — the team's practice facility — in Independence. His companies here employ about 3,250 people."
Enough said! VOTE YES ON 3. Track record is EVERYTHING to me. This man knows how to be successful.
Posted 12:05 PM, 10/18/2009
No kinding the man took $5,000.00 he made while delivering pizzas in college and turned it into a company worth $532 million.
Highland Square, OH
Posted 12:20 PM, 10/18/2009
The only people who will vote no on issue 3 are bible thumpers and people too easily persuaded by advertisements.
Ohio is in no position to be picky about increased revenue to the state. This will bring in money, people, and life to the cities. There's no excuse not to pass it.
Canal Fulton, Oh
Posted 02:18 PM, 10/18/2009
I agree with you all who say this should pass.and UA your right ,the ones who will vote against it,do so cuz of what you stated.
We're going to spend the night at Mountaineer tomorrow night,as we do every month,and I would rather stay in Ohio and play then in other states.It just makes sense for Ohio to get them.What is there only like 12 states that dont have gambling?We need to get on board.
Canal Fulton, Oh
Posted 02:19 PM, 10/18/2009
VOTE YES ON ISSUE 3!!!!!!
Orrville, Oh
Posted 06:10 PM, 10/18/2009
Reality demands: every; corporation, farmer, business, outsourcer sweatshop, and nonprofit, tax-exempt, organization and Church; markets the cost; in the wholesale and retail price of his or her product and service; of Fathers disqualified for affirmative action with white skin, Union workers, consumers, taxpayers, and Americas grandchildren’s children; fund all stimulus packages, property tax abatement, tax incentives, tax credit, tax refunds, tax exemptions. And pay for the more stock dividends (money). Hillarys, Chinese, Foreign and Domestic Investors and Stockholders (money marketers) market quarterly; in the wholesale and retail price; of EVERY product and service Human Beings use for life. And Government needs to build, maintain, and operate schools; infrastructure; and provide government services; and national security. That gets only product or service.
And fund; unemployed workers, casino, lottery, and keno losers, aliens, waitresses that pander for life for $2.00 per hour; insubordinate, low-income; defiant of realities demands; volunteers without wages; nonunion parasites willing to work for fewer wages than they can afford life; and righteous; with a faith-based belief; that it’s a sin; to engage in free, fair, and affordable commerce; or get an agreement (union contract); With a corporation, business, or nonprofit, tax-exempt, organization, or Church; Agreeing to comply with demands; Of natural law (what Mother Nature, God, or Whatever Power decreed to be the reality of the real world), God, democracy, capitalism, the US Constitution, and free, fair, and affordable commerce.
Pay; for the more money Hillarys, Chinese, Foreign and Domestic Investors and Stockholders market quarterly; with welfare checks, food stamps, housing vouchers, and Medicaid!
With money derived from wages or independent business profit; is needed; to distribute wealth; into Hillarys, Chinese, Foreign and Domestic Investors and Stockholders portfolios!
Akron, oh
Posted 06:37 PM, 10/18/2009
"Gilbert isn't associated with selling cars — a low-moral activity in some people's minds, said Richard Perloff"
I think he could sell cars, as if realestate were any better.
Memory Alpha, OH
Posted 07:04 PM, 10/18/2009
Loren Eberly:
I agree and will be voting NO on Issue 3, as well.
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Posted 07:20 PM, 10/18/2009
The casino gambling issue seems to be gaining more momentum for possible passage this time around. The tax revenue from these operations would certainly help to relieve the dire financial situation the State of Ohio is in, but it will not be a cure-all by any means. As mentioned in other posts above, the Ohio lottery was supposed to solve all the problems with school funding, yet time and again the voters have to grapple with another tax levy for schools on the ballot. If Issue 3 passes, this will likely be a case of history repeating itself. As far as the issue of addiction is concerned, the addition of casinos into the mix should not make much of a difference. We already have numerous lottery games, horse racing, bingo, etc. here in Ohio, so there is already ample opportunity to spend your money on gambling. Hopefully, the casinos would be required to spend the money necessary for funding programs to deal with addiction, as well as advertising that encourages responsible gambling. There is nothing wrong with gambling as a form of entertainment. The real problems begin when folks spend more than they can afford, i.e. they think they can make a living at it, or think they will hit the big jackpot if they just keep playing. Those are very rare events, and in the long run, the house ALWAYS wins. Almost every person that I have talked with who comes back from a gambling vacation tells me that they won. Gamblers tend to remember only their wins, and to forget about their losses.
Highland Square, OH
Posted 08:02 PM, 10/18/2009
I suggest for everyone who's comparing this to the lottery to take a closer look at Matthew Ray's post.
You guys think it will help, but not enough? Even if this were 100% true, is that enough of a reason to vote no? Think of all the people this will bring to certain cities.
Canal Fulton, Oh
Posted 08:40 PM, 10/18/2009
Nothing that the state of Ohio does ever helps the state out.why would this be any different?Just take it for what it is,a casino..
Ohio needs them,whats the big deal? Like if anyone would miss their tax dollars they so lovingly hold dear.
Go Steelers!!!!!, .
Posted 08:54 PM, 10/18/2009
Gilbert's proposed location would fix up an empty section across from Tower City and The Q. Plus, he agreed to build without an attached hotel, so you're going to add a lot of foot traffic downtown to go with the E 4th resurgence and W 6th entertainment options.
I can only imagine what downtown will look like when the Medical Mart and casino are completed. Quite a refurb for downtown Cleveland.
The cops support this issue and so do I.
YES ON 3!
Go Steelers!!!!!, .
Posted 08:57 PM, 10/18/2009
The polling is close on this issue. If you want gaming options or just want to add revenue a stream and aid development in northeast Ohio, get out and vote. Don't take its passage for granted.
Posted 09:27 PM, 10/18/2009
This is one of the reasons why I moved out of Ohio. Idiots that vote no on issues like this that would generate money, jobs and interest to the city.
akron, oh
Posted 10:14 PM, 10/18/2009
WHAT DO WE HAVE TO LOSE? NO PUBLIC MONEY BEING PUT UP? NEW BUILDINGS WHERE VACANCIES CURRENTLY STAND. JOBS. TAXES. ENTERTAINMENT. GO FOR IT. IT IT FLOPS, OH WELL. THATS ON GILBERT. SOMEHOW I GET THE FEELING WHAT HE DOES , DOESNT FLOP.
Tallmadge, OHIO
Posted 10:37 AM, 10/19/2009
Let's all just toss in the collective towel and admit we're no better than West Virginia and Detroit.
That our only hope is to gamble our way out of a tough economy.
We can change the State's motto to "Nice Tooth".
akron, oh
Posted 11:10 AM, 10/19/2009
I expect issue 3 to pass. Like it or not. Ohio needs jobs, and with the promise of over 3,000 jobs, people are going to support this issue.
Cleveland, OH
Posted 12:00 PM, 10/19/2009
YES ON 3! It will help keep the billions that are being spent in casinos in neighboring states here in Ohio to help Ohioans. It will bring in $650 million a year to local government and schools. It will create tens of thousands of jobs. It will give people a reason to visit our downtown areas. We need this NOW. Vote YES in November.
Uniontown, OH
Posted 04:08 PM, 10/19/2009
Why should we have to amend the constitution to do this? To let a monopoly run the casino business with little or no oversight? Sure it will proivide a few low paying jobs, but competition would bring even more jobs. Gilbert may have some success with the Cavs and some of his other business ventures, but I have trouble with someone weakening the constitution just to make a buck, which I guess is morally slightly better than being an illegal bookie. Ther are better ideas than giving an entertainment company a state monopoly.
Lorain, oh
Posted 04:43 PM, 10/19/2009
It's going to pass...the supporters are going all out this time. If their marketing effort is anything like what their casino's are they will be first class all of the way.
Posted 05:59 PM, 10/19/2009
did you know the guy we are supposed to trust for this horrible proposal has been arrested at least once for illegal bookmaking. why should we trust this ignorant fool to build us a casino (which is never gonna be built) and he wont put anything in writing for anyone except for the fact that he and his business pals are going to get a hundreds of million dollar monopoly from this proposal.
we should vote for a much better proposal which will bring many more jobs and make sure that ohio doesnt go to hell in hand basket vote for that one and not issue 3.
also just to show the true facts, issue 3 hired a company that has Absentee Ballot Fraud. Just pointing out the facts and that you SHOULDNT VOTE FOR ISSUE 3!!!! TIME TO SAY NO!
cleveland , Oh
Posted 06:08 PM, 10/19/2009
We are being asked to trust a man who's been arrested for an illegal bookie operatio, who doesn't gaurantee that the casino will even be built. The only thing Gilbert is saying is that he and his partners will gain a monopoly. There is a better alternative and we need to say no to Issue three
N Royalton, Oh
Posted 06:40 PM, 10/19/2009
Yes on 3! It makes no sense to let all our Ohio money go to WV, Indiana, Michigan, PA, and Canada.
Canal Fulton, Oh
Posted 07:51 PM, 10/19/2009
@nottheusual1,
I usually agree with your posts,but this one I have to say done me in..
especially the state motto you made up.Are you saying all gamblers are toothless?
I gamble all the time,we were spending the night at Mountaineer tonight but unfortunately had a family problem.,and have pretty much all my teeth:-)
Id much rather spend my money in Ohio.We need to get into the 2000s already ,be up to date.
Its so simple,if you dont like gambling dont go,but why purposely ruin it for everyone else that does enjoy it?
Canal Fulton, Oh
Posted 07:53 PM, 10/19/2009
The normal gambler knows how much money they can take with them to gamble with.Surely not irresponsible there.Its fun,and we all know its the luck of the draw if we happen to win.I never go expecting to win..EVER!I go for the thrill of it all,all the excitement you get surrounded by.You should try it:-)
cleveland , Oh
Posted 08:06 PM, 10/19/2009
Dan GIlbert has previously been arrested for illegal bookmarking, yet he is asking us for our trust when it comes to Issue three's campaign. There is a better option out there and we need to look into that.
Canal Fulton, Oh
Posted 08:30 PM, 10/19/2009
So he gets one chance with you guys? Everyone posting on here is perfect? Nobody has ever been given a second chance? Come on people!! You all want perfection with everything and act like your lives are so perfect!!!
A hood near you, OH
Posted 07:59 AM, 10/20/2009
@ Slovensko
Canton, OH
Thanks for that post. While brief, it was an instant classic.
I had no idea that such extreme stupidity could be represented by so few words. Please read GOP's post as many times as needed until you realize what a complete tool you are.
A hood near you, OH
Posted 08:03 AM, 10/20/2009
Hey Josh, what is that " better option" that you mention ?
Seriously, I'm always open to a better idea, I'd just like to know what your "better option" is.
Akron, Oh
Posted 03:25 PM, 10/20/2009
I will vote NO on Issue 3, but I will say I hope Dan Gilbert doesn't give up the fight to lead the way, this guy is quality and we want him to continue to invest in this State and in particular NEO...having said that this isn't the correct way to bring gambling to the State, they are leaving waaaayyy too much money on the table (50 million in license fees hah, start at $400 mill and require they build it)too much left too chance here and they got Strickland right where they need him...busted,broke and not a leg to stand on....
