Columbus, Ohio – Ohio Governor Ted Strickland today released the following statement in response to the Ohio Supreme Court’s referendum decision regarding video lottery terminals:

“We decided to pursue legislative authorization of video lottery terminals to help fill a state budget gap caused by the national recession without increasing taxes on working people or businesses during these economically challenging times.

“To balance the budget, protect investments in education and continue providing many of the critical health and safety services that Ohioans rely upon every day, we also cut spending by more than $2 billion and reduced the size of state government to the level it was during the Reagan era.

“While I am disappointed by this decision, we need to fully review the court’s judgment before determining next steps.  The Ohio Lottery Commission has modified its agenda for this afternoon’s scheduled meeting, which was to include the video lottery terminal implementation rules, to ensure adequate time to fully review and understand the impact of the court’s decision.”