1. “MyOhioNow”

2. Summary persuasive case
2008
A case: claims supported by evidence
Used for a campaign
Not a speech
Follow the reasoning

3. Introduction – 1 of 3
Remarkable, isn’t it?

4. Introduction – 2 of 3 5,000 people move INTO Las Vegas monthly
Last year, 52 million visitors
153,000 hotel rooms
McCarren the 8th busiest airport in world
More than 35 wedding chapels
152,000 slot machines, and 7,200 tables

5. Introduction – 3 of 3 No doubt: people love entertainment !
Ohio doesn’t have a “Las Vegas.”
Ohio has farmland … and
Empty factories
Poverty
Illness
Old age and
Dispair

6. Need - 1 of 4 What should happen to turn Ohio communities around?
A statewide commitment to education
A statewide focus on 21st century jobs
A program of infrastructure repair
These take money. Big money.

7. Need - 2 of 4 But our money is bailing out … to Las Vegas Cancun
Mountaineer Park
Niagra Falls
Elizabeth, Indiana

8. Need - 3 of 4 We’re shipping it every day … !
$ xxx,xxx,xxx to Las Vegas
$ xxx,xxx,xxx to New York
$ xxx,xxx,xxx to West Virginia
$ xx,xxx,xxx to Indiana
And the numbers are increasing !!
Graph of entertainment outflow, 1988 – 2008
Graph of projections,

9. Need - 4 of 4 In 2007, $xxx,xxx left Mahoning County alone !
That’s enough to operate an entire hospital or an entire school system for a year.
That’s big money, as Mayor XXXX says:
“ Yadda yadda yadda yadda.”
Next year, we’ll lose enough to run the whole county.

10. Plan 1 of 3 So, what can we do? “If we can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em !”
We must build a casino complex here in Ohio
Ohioans voted against regular casino gaming, so we can’t do that.
Ohioans voted against riverboat gaming, too
We’ll put a casino complex in Franklin County, Ohio’s center.

11. Plan 2 of 3 95 acres; 200,000 sf of casino floor space
World-class:
95 acres; 200,000 sf of casino floor space
5,000 slot machines (Rivers has 2,900)
150 table games (Rivers has 100)
Luxury hotel with 1,500 rooms (Rivers has none; Mountaineer has 350)
Restaurants, golf course, 2,500-seat entertainment center
Specialty retail, spa and conference center

13. Plan 3 of 3 All of Ohio will win:
$800 million in gross gaming revenue will generate $240 million in tax income.
Divided among all 88 Ohio counties, based on population
$2.4 million will be directed to programs supporting problem gambling
5,400 construction jobs; 3,800 permanent jobs

14. Plan Meets Need 1 of 2
One centrally-located entertainment complex will create more revenue than could several local casinos
The financial pro formas explain the plan
Other states with one-stop casinos are thriving

15. Plan Meets Need 2 of 2 It will be supported by all Ohioans
Research shows that Ohioans preferan Ohio casino to out-of-state ones
Research shows that Ohioans find the 2.5-hour drive to be acceptable
Our survey of Ohio travel/tourism boards shows that the conference center would have a significant number of bookings

16. No objections? 1 of 2 No new problems
New taxes will pay for increased use of public services in Franklin County
Programs for the treatment of problem gamblers will receiive $2.4 million.
New administrative costs to regulate the casino will receive $2.4 million.

17. No objections? 2 of 2 Some people object to gambling on moral grounds.
But the State of Ohio already operates The Ohio Lottery, the nation’s 9th largest, with $2.7 billion in sales receipts
Clearly, Ohioans already travel to casinos in neighboring states and to entertainment centers.
Gambling is ubiquitous. The Franklin County casino would operate openly and under state supervision.

18. Call for action So let’s break ground. Let’s create jobs for Ohio
Let’s create revenue for our counties
Let’s keep Ohio money in Ohio
Let’s create an entertainment complex that all of Ohio will be proud of
Let’s help Ohioans stay in Ohio for their entertainment