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House Speaker: Maryland Must Consider Locations for Casino

ANNAPOLIS, Maryland – As reported by the Frederick News-Post: "Pennsylvania's passage of far-reaching slot machine legislation means Frederick will once again be on the front burner of the gambling debate in the House of Delegates during the 2005 session.

"But with slots coming to the state's north, there's a growing focus on Hagerstown as a potential slots parlor location.

"Given the pressure that Pennsylvania's 61,000 slots at 14 locations will put on Maryland, a legislative report that recommends a western slots location has become more urgent, said House Speaker Michael Busch, D-Anne Arundel, in a phone interview on Wednesday.

"…Penn National is 208 miles from Frederick. Philadelphia Park, another slots site, is 90 miles away.

"…Mr. Busch said questions arise about how Maryland can compete with Pennsylvania, which will become second only to Nevada among 14 states where slot gambling is legal. In the mid-Atlantic area, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia and New Jersey all now have slot machine laws.

"…Mr. Busch has killed Gov. Robert Ehrlich's slots legislation in the closing minutes of the past two General Assembly sessions.

"…A referendum to take the issue to the voters in November would require a special session of the General Assembly, where lawmakers would have to deliver a three-fifths super majority in favor of the plan…"

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