The misleading pitch for Question 7

Give the new television ad asking voters to approve Maryland's Question 7 credit for one thing: It is spot on in accusing the opposition of being bankrolled by an out-of-state gambling company worried about losing revenue at its marquee location in West Virginia. Of course, the ad doesn't mention that the group who sponsored it — For Maryland Jobs & Schools Inc. — is a front for the gambling giant MGM, which stands to reap hundreds of millions if voters allow a sixth casino in Prince George's County. Fortunes will be spent on back-and-forth advertisements in the coming weeks because even greater fortunes stand to be gained or lost with the outcome of November's vote. The truth, inevitably, will be the loser.

September 6, 2012