Tagged: Racino

The Ohio State Racing Commission is asking developers of two new racinos in Ohio to add more seating for people who want to watch live horse racing.

Commissioners say the tracks in Dayton and near Youngstown that will feature slots-like video terminals need to put a little more attention on live-racing.

Officials of Penn National Gaming say they'll come back to the commission on Wednesday with more information and plans.

But a company official says the developers think the current plans have enough seats to meet demand.

Gov. John Kasich's budget proposal suggests that revenue from Ohio's four voter-approved casinos could be about half of what officials had predicted years ago.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that state officials estimated four years ago that the casinos could take in as much as $1.9 billion a year after all were in operation.

But Kasich's budget proposal issued Tuesday projects that gross casino revenue will be $957.7 million for the fiscal year beginning July 1. It could rise to just over $1 billion in the following fiscal year.

Dayton city officials have approved development plans for a $125 million racino on the former site of an automotive plant.

Construction is expected to begin this spring on the harness-racing track, which will include a 600-seat grandstand and 1,500 slots-like video terminals. It's being built on the site of a razed Delphi plant and is expected to open in mid-2014.

The Dayton Daily News reports that project is expected to create 1,000 jobs and another 1,000 during construction.