BEACHWOOD — Two Cleveland-area natives have teamed up with a veteran casino developer to try to convince Ohio voters that the state needs a casino.

This time around, the plan calls for a single casino in Clinton County, between Columbus and Cincinnati, and sweetens the pot by divvying up the tax revenues among all 88 counties. Voters would have to OK a change to the Ohio Constitution for it to go forward.

“Gaming monies are leaving the state at 65 mph,” said Lyle Berman, chairman and CEO of Lakes Entertainment Inc. “We think it’s time that stops.”

COURTESY MYOHIONOW.COM

An artist’s rendition of the proposed casino complex in southern Ohio.

Berman was introduced during a news conference Thursday in Beachwood — one of many being staged around the state. He signed on to be the moneyman behind a plan proposed by two childhood friends, Dr. Bradford Pressman and Rick Lertzman, both of whom grew up in Beachwood.

His family owned Berman’s Buckskin and its successor, Wilson’s The Leather Experts, before he shifted his focus to casinos. Most recently, his publicly traded Lakes Entertainment, based in Minnetonka, Minn., developed the Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo, Mich.

Berman acknowledged that selling the plan to voters from Northeast Ohio — where there won’t be a casino — is going to be hard. But he’s still convinced it can be done, and he’s giving the measure 60-40 odds of passing.

“Our toughest sell is in the Northeast Ohio area,” he said.

Under the proposal from MyOhioNow.com, a $600 million casino would be on a 94-acre site off Interstate 71 on state Route 73 between Columbus and Cincinnati. Lorain, Cleveland or other possible casino sites would have to seek their own ballot issues if they wanted a casino.

Lorain County Commissioner Ted Kalo said it’s too early to say if he would support the effort, saying the MyOhioNow.com supporters are a long way from getting the required 402,000 valid petition signatures to place their proposal on the November ballot.

“That’s a tough challenge,” Kalo said of the petition drive. “I think we’re neutral at this point.”

Lertzman said he thinks allowing a casino to be built in southwestern Ohio could be seen as opening the door to investors here who want to float their own ballot issues for casinos in other areas of the state.

Developer and car dealer Alan Spitzer knows all about that effort. He unsuccessfully tried to bring casinos to Lorain twice, and when contacted about the latest proposal, he said he had no idea whether it will succeed. He said it’ll depend on whether all the forces line up.

But Rob Walgate, vice president of the Ohio Roundtable, which helped lead successful campaigns against the expansion of Ohio gambling in 1990, 1996 and 2006, said the emergence of Berman as the secret partner will not be positive.

“They’re asking to alter the Ohio Constitution to make a ton of money for one individual,” said Walgate, who did not attend the press conference. “They’re calling it MyOhioNow, but their main partner is not an Ohio guy — he’s from another state. He can’t even vote here, and the money they make on this property would leave Ohio.”

Walgate also questioned revenue projections of $660 million a year, saying casino revenue is down in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

Already, a media blitz is under way across the state in hopes of garnering support, with television “teaser” ads.

Contact Cindy Leise at 329-7245 or cleise@chroniclet.com.

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