Issue 3

Issue 3 on the Ohio ballot is the “Learn and Earn” Amendment. What it will accomplish, if passed, is to place about nine different casino-like areas to be created in northern Ohio, namely Cleveland. Though these aren’t full-fledged casinos, the amendment provides for 3,500 slot machines per location.

The reason this is even on the ballot is that a portion of each location’s house winnings are kicked back to the government to be used for education. With 30% going to scholarships and another 8% going to general education, this seems like a beneficial addition to our current form of paying for public schooling.

Unfortunately, gambling is addictive. These games are made to allow an occasional large-scale win with many more, smaller, losses. This makes the possibility of either winning big, or more commonly, breaking even, quite possible and very enticing.

The house earnings are divided up to include “gambling addiction services,” but, like any addiction, gambling addictions have a stage of denial that is seldom escaped.

Also, these sorts of locations attract various, unwanted social groups such as gangs, drug dealers, and black market gambling operations. These side jobs are what will eventually destroy the good that the gambling spots that this amendment is trying to create.

In this case, I believe that the bad that can come from these government casinos far outweighs the good that has been foreseen. The only suitable decision is to deny this bill’s passage into the Constitution of Ohio.