It could be months before the action starts.
Meeting in Cleveland, lottery commissioners on Monday, July 19, voted unanimously to seek a declaratory judgment from a court — the Ohio Supreme Court or a lower court — that the commission has the authority to set up slots-at-the-tracks without further legislative action or a vote of the people.
The commission’s authority would stem from the constitutional amendment voters approved in 1973 setting up the lottery.
The thinking behind the request?
A lottery is a lottery, said David Paragas, an attorney representing some tracks.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re playing a lottery game on a piece of paper, a chalkboard or an electronic device,” he said.
Rob Walgate, vice president of the Ohio Roundtable, a suburban Cleveland anti-gambling group, said his organization hasn’t decided whether to challenge the new effort.
“We’re going to take a look at it,” Walgate said.
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