Officials at casinos that depend heavily on business from Ohio say they're not yet worried about losing dollars once gamblers start rolling the dice in Ohio cities, but Warren residents say they should.
''To a certain degree Mountaineer will lose,'' Richard O'Brien said, referring to the casino and race track in the northern West Virginia panhandle, about an hour from Warren.
Detroit casinos might also lose some of O'Brien's business in the summer, which he spends in his trailer in Sandusky, just 43 miles from Toledo, where a casino is scheduled to be built. Another casino is slated for Cleveland, 62 miles away.
Marty Deak, 64, who was walking inside the Eastwood Mall in Niles with O'Brien and two friends, said Mountaineer and a new slots-only casino in downtown Pittsburgh likely will suffer ''in the beginning because everyone will be curious'' about the casinos to be built in Ohio's four largest cities after Tuesday's passage of a constitutional amendment allowing gambling. ''If they think (the new casinos) are comparable, they'll stay.''
Mahoning Valley residents rejected the casino issue, largely because the area wasn't eligible to get one of the gambling licenses. Deak said he doesn't think the area will get one due to its population loss. He said area residents would have voted for it if they thought they had a chance to get one.
Howland resident Louis Siegel said he thinks Ohio residents will patronize casinos in the state more than out of state because "they'll be close and people will give them a try.''
He said he voted for the casino issue, calling it ''a good thing. The construction jobs alone will benefit us. I'm sure people from here will travel to Toledo and other places to build the casinos.''
Spokespeople at Mountaineer and Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack were holding their cards close to the vest in reacting to passage of the Ohio amendment, which also allows casinos to be built in Columbus and Cincinnati.
"Overall, it's too early to speculate on the market impact - based on the fact there is opposition and proposed amendments that could come into play," said Kim Florence, spokeswoman at the Wheeling Island facility. "We do feel in Ohio it will take a couple of years to get up and running. During that time, we will continue to focus on our business plans and focus on the Ohio market - as we've always intended to do.
"Pennsylvania and Ohio are our core audiences, and we will take advantage of any time we might have as this unfolds," she added. "We will continue to monitor efforts to build casinos in Ohio. As this unfolds, we will plan accordingly."
The MTR Gaming Group, owner of Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort in Chester, had actively campaigned against Issue 3. The company also owns Scioto Downs in Columbus and wishes to have casino-style gambling there.
Tamara Pettit, spokeswoman for Mountaineer, said Wednesday that MTR will continue to look at ways to develop Scioto Downs.
"We already have dealt with the introduction of competition as The Meadows has gone online with slots," she said. "The passage of Issue 3 will add to an already competitive market."
Pettit said Mountaineer "will continue to offer the most diverse entertainment experience" with the addition of shows and other offerings at the track.
"In recent months, we have been focused on customer experience," she noted.
King is a reporter with the Intelligencer in Wheeling, W. Va.
