Penn National faces more resistance in bid for Columbus Casino

Columbus was one of the four cities that was approved for casino gambling in the November election. Since the election, anti-gambling groups have been hard at work organizing, with the hope of persuading Penn National to move the site of the casino.

Stand Up Columbus, which was created by a bunch of business leaders, has vowed to fight Penn National if the company does not alter their plans for an Arena District casino. The group wants to have a say in where the new casino in Columbus is built.

While the group believes an alternative site would be best, Penn National has gone on record as saying that the amendment from November is site specific. In order to move to a different site, an additional amendment would be needed.

Franklin County voters overwhelmingly voted against Issue 3 back in November, but statewide, voters chose to approve the casino issue for the jobs and revenue that would be created. Penn National is preparing to bring thousands of temporary and permanent jobs to Columbus between the construction and the opening of the new casino.

For years Ohio citizens have turned away casino gambling. The issue has come up several time in front of voters and each time it has been defeated. This year, however, the economy has made many Ohioans reconsider their stance.