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Maryland, Pennsylvania Fight to Keep Gambling Money

PERRYVILLE, Maryland – As reported by the New York Times: "People in this riverfront town say Maryland is losing money hand over fist to bandits in neighboring states. The one-armed kind, that is.

"For years, they have watched Maryland residents trek through on their way to horse tracks in Delaware, where slot machines buzz, clatter and ring with the sounds of cash all day long. It is time, many say, for Maryland to get slot machines of its own.

"Why let the people of Maryland go to some other state to gamble?" asks Shirley Patterson, 68, who supports a plan to build a slots parlor along Interstate 95 on the edge of town.

"…Twenty minutes to the north, across the Pennsylvania border, residents are asking a similar question: If Maryland is about to legalize slot machines, shouldn't Pennsylvania do the same?

"…Legislators in Maryland and Pennsylvania are racing to legalize gambling, convinced that thousands of their residents are crossing borders every day to gamble away millions in New Jersey, West Virginia, Delaware and New York.

"Though such proposals have risen and died in recent years, they seem to have gained momentum because both states face an array of fiscal problems. But there is an added incentive this year: a fear in each capital that the other state will legalize gambling first.

"…Leading the fight for gambling in both states are the governors, who contend that slot machines could help pay for schools, lower property taxes, close recurring budget shortfalls without raising taxes and restore ailing racing industries…"

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