Gambling and horse-racing interests spent more than $2.3 million on lobbying and entertainment during this year's legislative session, continuing a blitz to legalize slot machines that began with the election of Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.
Lobbying activity reports filed with the State Ethics Commission this week show that slots-related advocacy remained near the fever pitch of a year earlier, when the industry spent about $2.5 million on the prospect that Ehrlich would push a gambling bill through the General Assembly.
As happened a year ago, this year's big effort bore little fruit. House Speaker Michael E. Busch led a group of Democratic delegates to defeat gambling legislation that passed the Senate, leaving track owners, slot-machine manufacturers, horse associations and others to regroup for another try.
"It's been a more difficult road than I think anyone would have predicted right after the election," said lobbyist Alan Rifkin, who earned $203,000 representing the Maryland Jockey Club and the Laurel Racing Association during the session, along with $92,000 from slot-machine and lottery companies. "But it is not the kind of difficulty that other states haven't seen."
Through healthy fees to Annapolis' most influential lobbyists and a regular supply of food and drink for lawmakers, the gambling industry spent an average of about $12,500 to influence each of the Assembly's 188 members from Nov. 1 to April 30, the period covered by the reports.
A coalition of anti-slots groups spent $53 per lawmaker.
The discrepancy illustrates "that there is a huge amount of money to be made on slots," said W. Minor Carter, who was paid $10,000 to lobby for the StopSlotsMaryland coalition. "Legislators understand that."
Gambling interests also dominated another set of spending statistics - these covering the period from Nov. 1, 2002, to Oct. 31 of last year - released by the Ethics Commission this week. Five of the eight largest spenders were gambling companies, including the top three: Centaur Inc., a potential buyer of the Rosecroft track in Prince George's County, at $825,951; Magna Entertainment Corp., the majority owner of the Pimlico and Laurel tracks, $675,166; and the Maryland Jockey Club, minority owner of the same two tracks, $398,373.
Spending on lobbying in Maryland was seventh-highest among 41 states that reported such figures for last year, according to research by the Center for Public Integrity. Maryland was behind California, Texas, New York, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Washington.
The top earner during the six months that ended April 30, D. Robert Enten, had little to say about the $668,000 he collected from a stable dominated by insurance and finance clients . "I report whatever I get paid, and some years you have more clients than you have in other years," he said.
The largest lobbying fee during the session came from MedChi, the state medical society, which paid lobbyist Joseph A. Schwartz III, $221,395.
The top earning spot among Annapolis lobbyists is considered a dubious distinction. Two former top earners, Bruce C. Bereano and Gerard E. Evans, were scrutinized by federal prosecutors and convicted of fraud. But Bereano has bounced back, and the $619,000 he collected during the session put him in the No. 2 spot.
Spending the most by far among lobbying firm in town was Alexander & Cleaver, which reported almost $160,000 in dinner and drink expenses during the six-month period. That put it more than $100,000 ahead of its closest rival, Rifkin, Livingston, Levitan and Silver.
Lobbying activity reports filed with the State Ethics Commission this week show that slots-related advocacy remained near the fever pitch of a year earlier, when the industry spent about $2.5 million on the prospect that Ehrlich would push a gambling bill through the General Assembly.
As happened a year ago, this year's big effort bore little fruit. House Speaker Michael E. Busch led a group of Democratic delegates to defeat gambling legislation that passed the Senate, leaving track owners, slot-machine manufacturers, horse associations and others to regroup for another try.
"It's been a more difficult road than I think anyone would have predicted right after the election," said lobbyist Alan Rifkin, who earned $203,000 representing the Maryland Jockey Club and the Laurel Racing Association during the session, along with $92,000 from slot-machine and lottery companies. "But it is not the kind of difficulty that other states haven't seen."
Through healthy fees to Annapolis' most influential lobbyists and a regular supply of food and drink for lawmakers, the gambling industry spent an average of about $12,500 to influence each of the Assembly's 188 members from Nov. 1 to April 30, the period covered by the reports.
A coalition of anti-slots groups spent $53 per lawmaker.
The discrepancy illustrates "that there is a huge amount of money to be made on slots," said W. Minor Carter, who was paid $10,000 to lobby for the StopSlotsMaryland coalition. "Legislators understand that."
Gambling interests also dominated another set of spending statistics - these covering the period from Nov. 1, 2002, to Oct. 31 of last year - released by the Ethics Commission this week. Five of the eight largest spenders were gambling companies, including the top three: Centaur Inc., a potential buyer of the Rosecroft track in Prince George's County, at $825,951; Magna Entertainment Corp., the majority owner of the Pimlico and Laurel tracks, $675,166; and the Maryland Jockey Club, minority owner of the same two tracks, $398,373.
Spending on lobbying in Maryland was seventh-highest among 41 states that reported such figures for last year, according to research by the Center for Public Integrity. Maryland was behind California, Texas, New York, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Washington.
The top earner during the six months that ended April 30, D. Robert Enten, had little to say about the $668,000 he collected from a stable dominated by insurance and finance clients . "I report whatever I get paid, and some years you have more clients than you have in other years," he said.
The largest lobbying fee during the session came from MedChi, the state medical society, which paid lobbyist Joseph A. Schwartz III, $221,395.
The top earning spot among Annapolis lobbyists is considered a dubious distinction. Two former top earners, Bruce C. Bereano and Gerard E. Evans, were scrutinized by federal prosecutors and convicted of fraud. But Bereano has bounced back, and the $619,000 he collected during the session put him in the No. 2 spot.
Spending the most by far among lobbying firm in town was Alexander & Cleaver, which reported almost $160,000 in dinner and drink expenses during the six-month period. That put it more than $100,000 ahead of its closest rival, Rifkin, Livingston, Levitan and Silver.
