Business expect boost from casino

ROSSFORD, Ohio - Area businesses are looking for a boost if a casino is built in Toledo.

"Definitely, because once people try the food here, they come back," said Greg Shubeta, owner of Shubie's Ice Cream & Grill in Rossford.

Some area businesses in Rossford are already counting the dollars and sense from Ohio's proposed casinos, even before voters decide whether they will be built.

Backers of a proposal to place casinos in Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati submitted enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot.

The planned site for a Toledo casino would be right off I-75 at Miami Street, next to the Pilkington Plant in Rossford. The proposed land sits on the Rossford-Toledo border, but will call Toledo home.

That doesn't mean Rossford businesses like Shubie's Ice Cream & Grill won't benefit.

"The more people that come by here, the more people will stop," Shubeta said. "I mean, we've lost a lot of businesses down here and I think the more traffic, the better for Rossford."

The hope is that the ice cream crowd will grow, as the traffic grows. The same can be said at JoJo's Pizza where the hope is the pizza crowd grows, but some are still worried about the casino crowd.

"I think it would have a lot of impact in Rossford, but I don't think it's going to be the right impact that Rossford needs right now," said Jon Joldrichsen, a JoJo's employee. "Casinos bring a lot of crime and vandalism."

The group pushing the casinos estimates at least $250 million in investment in Toledo, thanks to the casino. Of course JoJo's and Shubie's won't see near that money, but with a year round attraction, the demand for ice cream and pizza will be a benefit far beyond any card table.

"It's right down the road," Shubeta said. "We've lost a lot of business. I think it'll bring more businesses here."