Gambling lawsuit filed

Gambling lawsuit filed
Ohio Roundtable takes Governor Kasich to court.

(Cleveland) - An anti-gambling group has filed a lawsuit in an effort to stall the expansion of gaming in Ohio.

The Ohio Roundtable, a division of the American Policy Roundtable is suing Gov. John Kasich in Franklin County Court, seeking to stop the placement of slot machines at state racetracks, the expansion of Ohio's Lottery and the forgiving of casino owners' tax debt.

The A.P. Roundtable's David Zanotti claims all of those actions require constitutional amendments. Zanotti says Kasich has taken short cuts and negotiated backroom deals to skirt Ohio's Constitution.

He says casino laws and guidelines were set when Ohio voters approved State Issue 3 in 2009, and they can’t be changed without another vote.

Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols says the Governor does not comment on pending litigation. He contends Ohioans have repeatedly supported various types of gambling over the past century.

The Roundtable expects that the suit will eventually land before Ohio's Supreme Court.



On Suing A Governor -- Again
By Mr. David Zanotti

"You can't fight City Hall." That's what we heard growing up, right? Good news is Sam Adams and his friends never believed that slogan. Today the Ohio Roundtable, led by Rob Walgate and Melanie Elsey sued Ohio Governor John Kasich in Franklin County Court. The Governor has participated in an illegal scheme to expand gambling in Ohio on mulitiple levels in total disregard to the principles of Constitutional government.

Its a big case with lots of claims but the essence is this: Ohioans have been quite intentional since 1850 regarding the regulation of gambling and lotteries. They have made a few careful exceptions through Consitutional amendments passed by the voters. The Kasich Administration has trashed those amendments in a series of clever back room deals with casino operators and racetrack owners. The Republican controlled Legislature looked the other way and passed legislaton including the provisions of the back room deals.

Now we will find out what the Courts in Ohio think about the Governor trashing the rule of law.

By the way, John Kasich is a Republican and commentator on FOX News. Something to think about.