If the measure passes on the Nov. 4 ballot, voters will decide whether to amend the Ohio Constitution to allow a casino resort off Interstate 71 near Wilmington, nearly halfway between Cincinnati and Columbus.
Supporters of the project claim it would create approximately 5,000 jobs and produce income for each of Ohio's 88 counties.

However, Penn National Gaming Inc., based in Wyomissing, Pa., argues the deal would create a monopoly by authorizing only one casino statewide. It wants access to Ohio through gaming at its Raceway Park in Toledo. The Pennsylvania-based company owns Argosy Casino in Lawrenceburg, Ind., near Cincinnati.
The group promoting the casino development, MyOhioNow.com, is urging Ohio voters not to be fooled by a TV and radio campaign that started Tuesday night in the state's big cities.

However, Penn National is concerned about losing business, said Rick A. Lertzman, MyOhioNow.com co-founder. Lertzman said he expects that an Ohio casino would take between 40 percent and 50 percent of the $480 million in annual revenues generated by gamblers going to Argosy.
Penn National's Argosy is the biggest of three casinos in southeast Indiana that draw heavily from the Cincinnati area and northern Kentucky. Other companies operate the two smaller casinos, Belterra and Grand Victoria.

Penn National is the third-largest gambling company in the U.S. with revenue in excess of $2 billion a year. It is funding a group called No On 6 _ if the casino proposal makes the ballot it would be listed as Issue 6.
A public-policy group, Ohio Roundtable, opposes the casino development in Ohio.
Ohio voters have a history of strongly embracing certain casino proposals.

Bob Tenenbaum, a spokesman for No On 6, said the group won't oppose gambling generally but rather has concerns about the current proposed ballot measure. Tenenbaum said ballot language could allow the casino to escape its promised 30 percent tax obligation if it is considered an American Indian casino.

MyOhioNow.com partner Brad Pressman said the involvement of a rival gambling interest changes "the entire way the campaign is going to proceed," although he and Lertzman said they can't afford to spend more than the $14 million they had budgeted for the campaign.

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