Columbus Dispatch: Casino Commission Cracking Down

There are a lot of ways to gamble legally in Ohio but some people in our great state are still finding ways to do so illegally.  This has always been an issue in the state, and now the Ohio Casino Control Commission is looking into over 30 places where such illegal gambling may be occurring.

The Columbus Dispatch’s Alan Johnson has more in today’s edition:

Matt Schuler, executive director of the Ohio Casino Control Commission, said yesterday that his agency is investigating at least three dozen such locations. He said there could be hundreds more in storefronts and strip malls around the state. They are not limited to large urban areas; many thrive in smaller cities and towns…

Skill games have been around for many years. They are supposed to be based on the player’s skills, unlike slot machines, which are based on chance. Skill games faded out as Internet cafes proliferated but had a resurgence when DeWine and state lawmakers cracked down on the cafes in the past two years.

Crackdowns on illicit gambling isn’t new, at least by the Ohio Attorney General’s definition of what constitutes a skill game versus a game of chance.  The AG’s crack down on these other, very illegal operations is wholly supported by the Ohio Veterans and Fraternal Charitable Coalition, an organization focusing on raising money for charities, not for owners of illegal businesses.