Casino King David

Tuscarawas County Considers Legalizing Gambling

Any gambling outside of the Ohio Lottery and charity events are illegal in the state. Dee Grossman-Tasker, executive director of the Tuscarawas County Convention and Visitors Bureau said a proposed change in Ohio law aims to make gambling legal.

"This issue has nothing to do with American Indians and any claim for land," she said. "This initiative is being organized by the Learn and Earn folks."

The Tuscarawas County Fairgrounds at Dover is not considered one of Ohio's major horse tracks despite its three days of harness racing every year.

By 2010 residents in the counties with race tracks could vote to expand to table games such as blackjack, poker and roulette.

"According to the proposed legislative initiative, there will be no opportunity for Tuscarawas County to have casino gambling or expanded gaming," Grossman-Tasker said.

True gamblers might double down on the chance that Tuscarawas County's rich history could allow an American Indian tribe to stake a claim to its ancestral lands.

The Tuscarawas Valley once was the center of territory occupied by the Delaware tribe said Fred Miller, president of the Tuscarawas County Historical Society.

If the Delaware decide to take a cue from the Eastern Shawnee, who are seeking to reclaim 92,800 acres of Ohio taken from them in the 1803s, there is a tiny chance that Tuscarawas County could hear the ringing of slots and see the glow of neon light.