August 21, 2008
Sun coverage: Slot machines in Md.
Slots ballot wording is criticized
Opponents of slot machines in Maryland decried the wording of a ballot question to legalize expanded gambling yesterday, saying it was crafted to garner more votes.
To OC, slots present threat, opportunity
The dusty harness track in Berlin, with its minor-league charm and horse-and-buggy night races, is no threat to the tourism juggernaut on the beach five miles away - and that's just how Ocean City business and political leaders want to keep it.
Slots foes may contest ballot text
Slots opponents said yesterday that they are contemplating a lawsuit to contest the wording of a November referendum on whether to allow the establishment of 15,000 slot machines at five sites across the state.
Racing subsidies could leave Md.
A November slots referendum designed to keep millions in gambling dollars from going to nearby states would, if approved, likely end up sending millions in tax revenue to out-of-state racehorse owners, according to a new analysis by a taxpayer advocacy group.
Wealth driving 'No' vote on slots
Stewart Bainum Jr., who fought the Maryland lottery as a state lawmaker, left politics more than two decades ago. But the multimillionaire and hotel magnate is still playing a role in the debate over gambling in Maryland - he recently cut a $10,000 check to an organization that's working to sway voters against slot machines in the November referendum.
Anti-slots groups reject gaming money
Groups fighting the legalization of slot machines in Maryland said yesterday that they don't intend to take money from gambling interests and that both sides need to reject such contributions to have a fair debate.
Land deal lays base for slots in Cecil County
A national casino operator has secured a deal with one of Cecil County's largest landowners that could pave the way for a slots parlor just across the Interstate 95 tolls in Perryville if voters approve November's gambling referendum.
Pa. firm seeks land here for casino
A national casino operator from Pennsylvania is close to securing an option to purchase Cecil County property near Interstate 95 for use as a slot machine gambling venue if voters this November approve the devices in Maryland.
2 sides on slots to have booths at fair
All's fair at the State Fair, the opposing sides of the slots fight agreed yesterday.
Math behind slots is open to debate
The state's November referendum on slot machines could come down to whose math voters believe
Two Anne Arundel councilmen enlist in anti-slot machine campaign
Two Anne Arundel County councilmen joined a statewide campaign yesterday urging residents to vote against a November referendum to legalize slot machines, saying that expanded gambling at Laurel Park would have a devastating impact on quality of life in the county.
Video poker crackdown due
Comptroller Peter Franchot announced yesterday a broad crackdown on video poker machines at Maryland bars, saying the tax collector's office would use its authority to enforce alcohol laws to pressure liquor-license holders to get rid of the "for-amusement-only" devices that he says are mostly operated as illegal slot machines.
Slots an issue at fair
The Maryland State Fair is usually a forum for cotton-candy vendors and kids in 4-H clubs showing off livestock - not political controversy.
Eyeing slots help, Chuckas takes Md. Jockey Club reins
Tom Chuckas spent his first official day as the president and chief operating officer of the Maryland Jockey Club in meetings, only to emerge yesterday to questions about his vision for the sport in Maryland.
Reject slots handouts, lawmakers urged
It's not enough for campaigns mobilizing to sway the November referendum on slot-machine gambling to reject money from gambling interests. A government watchdog group wants state politicians to do the same. Ryan O'Donnell, executive director of Common Cause Maryland, said he plans to send a letter to members of the General Assembly, asking them to refuse campaign contributions from gambling interests until voters decide the matter. Common Cause, which doesn't take a position on whether to legalize slots gambling, asked for the same pledge from pro-and anti-slots campaigns. "This is no longer a legislative process; it's a democratic process," O'Donnell said in an interview. "But still, let's keep it clean." Meanwhile, anti-slots forces announced that the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce decided to remain neutral on the issue. The statewide chamber has endorsed slots, but local chambers, including Ocean City and Annapolis, oppose the referendum.
Commission: Put slots at Laurel, Ocean Downs
The Maryland Racing Commission yesterday urged the state to place slots at Laurel Park and Ocean Downs, the only two tracks eligible under legislation approved during a special General Assembly session last year.
Official focuses on bar games
Comptroller Peter Franchot is pushing for Baltimore City and Baltimore County to stop providing licenses for thousands of video gambling machines that critics allege make illegal, "under the table" payouts in area bars and restaurants.
Teachers union backs slots referendum
The state teachers union voted late Friday night to support voter approval of slot machine gambling in a November referendum, the union announced yesterday.
Lawmakers focus on slots spending
Lawmakers in Annapolis are moving to tighten up campaign reporting requirements for the November referendum on legalizing slot machines, as both sides gird for what's expected to be a free-spending battle to win voters.
Miller presses teachers for help on slots
Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller has told the leaders of the state's powerful teachers union that they need to support a November referendum to legalize slot machine gambling or be prepared for severe cuts in education funding.
Panel votes for ban on slots-like devices
A Senate committee voted almost unanimously yesterday to advance a bill seeking to ban slots-like video gambling machines that have proliferated throughout Maryland, setting the stage for the full Senate to take up the measure today.
Gansler issues ruling on gambling devices
Many of the electronic gambling machines that have proliferated across the state in recent months are illegal, according to an opinion released by Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler's office Monday.
Electronic bingo backed by strong lobbying push
Electronic gambling machines - devices that resemble slots - have been proliferating in rural Maryland counties recently, in part because of a concerted lobbying effort by their manufacturer.
Franchot urges ban on video gambling machines
Comptroller Peter Franchot, who has long opposed the expansion of gambling in Maryland, called on lawmakers today to approve legislation that would ban video gambling machines by next year.
Tracks balking at slots campaign
Maryland's pro-slots forces are planning an eight-month campaign for a referendum on expanded gambling that they say would fix the state's budget problems and save horse racing. But those who stand to benefit most - the state's racetrack owners - are balking at the effort and saying that they might not participate in the push for the ballot measure.
Bingo devices under threat
They look like slots, they play like slots, they pay out like slots, and they have proliferated for years under a legal loophole.
Slots plan is picked apart
Maryland lawmakers grilled aides to Gov. Martin O'Malley yesterday on his plan to allow up to 15,000 slot machines at five locations, raising questions about the proposed sites, local approval and the impact on the state's two thoroughbred racetracks.
Slots lose luster at Fla. track
Gulfstream Park, South Florida's major thoroughbred horse-racing track, installed slot machines last year, rows and rows of them. And gamblers came.
City's eye on slots site
An 11-acre warehouse district south of Baltimore's sports stadiums would become the home of a new slots facility under a proposal by Mayor Sheila Dixon's administration that officials said could cut city property taxes, The Sun has learned.
Majority favor slots
Anne Arundel County residents' opinions are decidedly mixed on Gov. Martin O'Malley's tax proposals to balance the state budget, with strong majorities favoring raising taxes on businesses and high-income earners but opposing increases in the sales and car-titling taxes, according to a new survey.
A vote on slots called odd bet
Around the country, ballot measures to allow slot machines or casinos usually fail, according to experts who study the issue.
O'Malley betting on slots
Reviving one of the most hotly debated issues in Annapolis, Gov. Martin O'Malley said yesterday that he will push for legalized slot machine gambling as a way to close Maryland's $1.7 billion budget gap, help the state's struggling horse industry and preserve open space.
Report makes case for Md. slots
The O'Malley administration released a report yesterday that concludes slot machines are necessary to protect Maryland's racing industry, giving the strongest indication yet that the governor intends to make expanded gambling part of his plan to close a projected $1.5 billion budget gap.
Slots measure still has the look of a loser
The joke for a while on the campaign trail was that Maryland voters who didn't want slot machines had two choices for governor: Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan, who opposed them, and Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., whose repeated attempts to legalize them routinely ended in failure.
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