The Ohio Casino Control commission says revenue at the Scioto Downs racino and the Columbus Casino rose in January to a combined 28-million-dollars.The casino's 18-million-dollar take was second behind those in Cleveland and Toledo. Overall, January revenue in the state's three casinos fell by 6.1 percent to 53.2 million dollars. That leads industry analyst Roger Gros to question the market's staying power.
Meanwhille some small businesses near the Columbus casino report sluggish activity, with a few reporting a steep decline in customers. The businesses and local politicians were expecting a rush of new customers, but instead the firms are watching would-be customers remain on the casino grounds.