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Penn National Gaming Wants 24-Hour Liquor Service In Its Ohio Casinos

Posted on April 25th, 2010

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In November last year, Ohio voters approved Issue 3, a constitutional amendment allowing gambling and casinos at four specified locations in the state. But Penn National Gaming, the company allowed by the state to develop the four casinos, wants to relocate the proposed Columbus casino from the Arena District site to the area on the West Side where the old Delphi plant once stood.

Because of that, Ohio voters will again have to be asked on May 4 to approve the transfer of the casino site, through another constitutional amendment, Issue 2. Since Issue 3 was approved by the entire state, Issue 2 would also have to be approved by all Ohio voters.

Aside from authorizing the casinos and their sites, Issue 3 also requires the creation of a casino control commission by early June and the setting up of license standards which state lawmakers are currently finalizing. Amid all this, Penn National has suggested that it wants its four casinos in Ohio to offer complimentary drinks and 24-hour sales of its alcoholic beverages.

Although nothing definite has been confirmed, Rep. Todd Book, D-McDermott, chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Reference said Ohio lawmakers are thinking of imposing on the casinos the same rules imposed on all Ohio bars, which are, no complimentary drinks and no 24-hour drinking.

“It’s up in the air, clearly, but I think the idea of 24-hour liquor sales is probably not going to happen,” Book said. Penn National local spokesman Bob Tenenbaum said, “It’s competitive reasons, but it’s not to compete with local bars and restaurants. It’s really to keep the casinos competitive with casinos in neighboring states.” Book said the neighboring states do not allow its casinos to serve drinks all day, although the states differ on the matter of complimentary drinks. “A few of the states around us do not allow comp drinks at all, a few allow comp drinks in specified areas like VIP rooms … and one other allows comp drinks on the (casino) floor,” he said.

Penn National says that casinos in states around Ohio allow smoking while Ohio has an existing indoor smoking ban, so to counteract that, the company is asking for the 24-hour liquor sales for its casinos to be competitive. “It would give the Ohio casinos a competitive advantage that might help to make up for the disadvantage that they have,” Tenenbaum said. If state lawmakers allowed Penn National’s request, the company’s four casinos in Ohio would be the first of the company’s to be granted that license.