By Erica Solvig
The Cincinnati Enquirer

LEBANON - Some Warren County officials are worried about the "trickle-down" if there would ever be an Indian casino here.

News surfaced last week that the Oklahoma-based Shawnee tribe was looking at several Middletown sites for a 100-acre resort, casino and entertainment center. Among the Middletown locations being considered is a site east of the Interstate 75/Ohio 122 interchange in the Warren County section of the city.

"It will impact the entire region," said Mayor Ernie Lawson of Waynesville, where the same Indian tribe tried to pursue casino plans last year.

Besides the 1,000-plus jobs the resort would bring, some officials said at Tuesday's meeting of Warren County commissioners that they fear a casino will bring more growth and cause a strain on infrastructure. Middletown Regional Hospital is looking to relocate to the Ohio 122 area and the patients combined with the casino-goers and residents would cause traffic issues, officials argue.

Some say it would also affect the social services provided by the county, Middletown and other area communities. Lawson argues that already-strained agencies would have a hard time keeping up with additional social problems a casino could bring, such as gambling addiction.

Warren County Commissioner Mike Kilburn said Tuesday he's against gambling, though he sees horse racing as a sport.

"We take an activity that's been illegal in the state of Ohio for over 200 years, and because now they think there's some money involved in it, they think it's a good idea," Kilburn said. "So we're going to change the constitution and change the way of thinking about an immoral activity and make it legal? ... We would change the whole moral environment of our county."

Ohio law bans casino gambling, though lawmakers are trying to put an issue on the November ballot for electronic slot machines at Ohio racetracks as an attempt to fund college scholarships.

It might be a hard sell. Ohio Gov. Bob Taft said last week that he opposes it and Ohio voters have turned down the idea of casino gambling twice.

"I think ultimately, it's going to be decided by the voters," Warren County Commissioner Pat South said. "But I think that the Ohio legislature would be making a very poor decision to allow gambling under the disguise that it's going to fix all of the school funding problems that we have. The lottery didn't do it and ... gambling isn't going to do it either."

E-mail esolvig@enquirer.com