SEARCH NEWS:

 

Maryland County Welcomes Slot Den

PERRYVILLE, Maryland – As reported by the Baltimore Sun: "As community after community scrambles to keep from being one of the potential sites for a casino-style slots den, leaders in the Northeast Maryland county of Cecil say they would welcome the devices if the state chooses to legalize them.

"…Cecil - Maryland's last stop on the road to Delaware - remains one of just three jurisdiction permitted to have nonracetrack slot machine facilities under legislation the state Senate approved last month. Baltimore City and Prince George's County are the others.

"But Cecil is far different from the other two locations. Baltimore and Prince George's are Maryland's only majority black jurisdictions, and both have large pockets of urban poverty. Cecil is still mostly rural and full of farms, although it is growing quickly as the suburbs of Baltimore, Wilmington, Del., and Philadelphia push outward.

"…Most significantly, there has been a difference in the lawmakers' response to slots. Politicians in both Baltimore and Prince George's have been far more outspoken in their opposition to slots - particularly after other, more affluent communities successfully exempted themselves from Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s gambling plan.

"…By contrast, lawmakers representing Cecil have mostly been supportive of the idea of slots coming to the county, provided there are adequate assurances that the local government will get a healthy share of the gambling revenue. Many acknowledge it makes sense to position a slots facility just short of the Delaware state line, discouraging Marylanders from driving to Delaware's racetrack slots facilities to gamble.

"The Senate legislation - permitting 15,500 slot machines at three racetrack and three nontrack locations - is waiting for a hearing in a House of Delegates committee…"

< Gaming News