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Pennsylvania Slots Plan Could Force Maryland Hand

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania – As reported by the Washington Post: "If all goes according to Democratic Gov. Edward G. Rendell's plans, members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives will gather next month beneath their Capitol's 23-karat gilded columns and grant formal approval to one of the most expansive new gambling programs in the nation.

"The vote would put at least 36,000 more slot machines within driving distance for Maryland gamblers, who already travel in significant numbers to horse tracks in Delaware and West Virginia to play slots.

"In the view of many Maryland legislative leaders, Pennsylvania's plans for 12 new gambling venues -- eight at horse tracks and four at free-standing slot emporiums -- would create such a huge competitive draw for dollars that pressure to match the effort would be immense, and all but the most die-hard slots foes in Annapolis would be forced to abandon their opposition.

"…If there was always a general awareness that the expansion of slot machine gambling into Pennsylvania would change the political landscape in Maryland, it was never as acutely clear as it has become in recent weeks.

"…The only major obstacle standing in the path of Rendell's slots proposal, at this point, is disagreement over precisely how to divide the spoils. Rendell's most recent proposal involves putting 3,000 slot machines at 12 locations across the state, said John H. Estey, the governor's chief of staff.

"…Just how the pie is sliced in Pennsylvania could have a significant impact on what follows in Maryland. Rendell's numbers, as they now stand, include a level of support for horse racing and profits for the facility owners that are substantially higher than anything that has been discussed in Maryland, said Annapolis lobbyist Alan M. Rifkin, whose clients include horse racing and gambling interests…"

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