The group has plans for the large first phase of a casino-based, two-million-sf entertainment complex, that will include a roughly 200,000-sf casino, a 1,500-room hotel, a 50,000-sf conference center, a 3,000-car parking garage, a 2,500-seat theater, eight restaurants, a golf course and 10,000-sf of retail. A planned second phase would include an expansion of the hotel, an automotive speedway, and more retail and casino space, according to the group.

Rick Lertzman--who with partner Brad Pressman makes up the backbone of MyOhioNow--says that his group will get more than enough signatures to put the issue on the ballot. The group says the proposal is different than the last few failed casino issues, because former ballot questions were geared to add more than one casino. More than 400,000 signatures are required by Aug. 6 to put the issue on the Nov. 4 ballot, but Lertzman says he isn't worried. "We should have double the amount that we need," he says. "We plan a very strong campaign this fall." He says many people are out collecting the petitions, and are apparently being paid for their efforts, as evidenced by the group's Web site promising to pay petition collectors.

Ohio is surrounded by states that have multiple casinos, and the state is losing out on millions in tax revenue, Lertzman says. "They're all sucking dollars out of Ohio," he tells GlobeSt.com. "And after we recently learned we'll lose about 15,000 jobs because of DHL and Ford sites closing. We're proposing something that will offer 5,000 jobs and an economic stimulus for a state that's been hit really hard."

The site is nearly 95 acres, and is now the home of Alma's Amish Cheese Barn. One of the promises of the group is that the casino will have a "Midwestern" feel, where staff members wear "appropriate" clothing rather than "skimpy attire."