By John Kiesewetter
The Cincinnati Enquirer

MIDDLETOWN - Although this aging industrial city desperately needs new jobs, City Manager Ron Olson says a possible Indian casino isn't a sure bet.

"Any announcement is premature for the project," Olson said Friday after a press briefing on a proposed 100-acre resort, casino and entertainment center that could employ more than 1,000.

Terry Casey, a Columbus-based consultant representing the Shawnee tribe based in Oklahoma, has been looking at several Middletown sites since July.

He's working with National Capitol I Inc., which is negotiating for a Shawnee casino in the Shelby County village of Botkins, 50 miles north of Dayton along Interstate 75.

But bringing the multimillion-dollar Indian gambling industry here won't be easy. Ohio law bans casino gambling, and Ohio Gov. Bob Taft said this week he opposes it.

Among the Middletown locations under consideration is one east of the Interstate 75/Ohio 122 interchange. . Casey said Middletown was selected because of the proximity to I-75 and the growing population in the Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and Dayton areas.

"This has the potential to bring in significant tax money and a lot of jobs," Olson said. "We'd be negligent or derelict if we did not pursue this project."

E-mail jkiesewetter@enquirer.com