Man Scores Small Win In Fight To Challenge Ohio Casino IndustryOhio Supreme Court Rules That Case Can Proceed |
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An Ohio man can proceed with his challenge to the Buckeye State’s casino industry, which is controlled by just two operators, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
The court said that Frederick Kinsey had established standing necessary to present his case, according to Cleveland.com. A constitutional amendment in 2009 allowed four Las Vegas-style casinos in Ohio, as well as a handful of racinos with gambling machines.
Penn National Gaming owns the Las Vegas-style casinos in Toledo and Columbus, while Rock Gaming, owned by billionaire Dan Gilbert, has the casinos in Cleveland and Cincinnati. Caesars was recently a partner with Rock Gaming before the latter bought the former’s stake.
The case brought by Kinsey claims that the constitutional right of equal protection was violated because applying for an Ohio casino license was not available to everyone. It’s unclear if Kinsey has the means to build and operate a casino, which is something that will be fleshed out in court. If he doesn’t, the case could be thrown out.
In other words, he can’t argue there was injury if he is unable to demonstrate that he would have a shot at satisfying the minimum requirements to bid for a casino license.
The case now returns to a court in Franklin County for more legal proceedings, the report said. It’s still unlikely Kinsey ultimately gets a ruling in his favor, but if he does it could spell trouble for Ohio’s existing casinos, according to the report.
As of now, the ruling has no effect on Ohio’s casinos.
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