After voters in Ohio voted to bring casino gambling to the state, the Senate and the House of Representatives have finally agreed on which road must be taken to move toward casino regulations. In November, voters approved casinos in Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo, and Cleveland to be opened. There were a number of issues on the table for the Senate and the House. First, the four casinos must split $200 million in licensing fees. The House wanted it to be decided how these fees are going to be split. The House also tackled the task of deciding how the money from those licensing fees was to be spent. The Senate, however, has delayed this decision.

The largest issue on the table was how the casinos are to be regulated. This led to a decision for the establishment of the Ohio Gaming Commission and will serve as the regulatory agency for the four casinos. One option was for the Attorney General to serve as the regulatory authority, but it was found that the Gaming Commission would be a much better choice. The approval of casino gambling has been long awaited amongst its citizens. A number of groups have opposed the passing of this legislation, but this is a move that the flailing Ohio economy has needed for quite some time. The rising unemployment rate and difficulty in balancing the state budget changed the minds of many residents once opposed to casinos in Ohio.

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