In the fall of 2009, Ohio voters were faced with a referendum to allow casino gambling in the state. Prior to the election, the Public Policy Analysis Group at Hiram College studied the social and economic effects that this form of predatory gambling would bring to the state. These researchers discovered that there would be a net loss of area jobs in the new casino locations. This would be due to the significant loss of non-casino jobs in these areas. Further, the policy analysts characterized the industry’s claim of creating 34,000 new jobs as “misleading.”

Report on Ohio Gaming Initiative – Statewide Economic and Social Factors