Anne Arundel County voters will get a chance to cast a ballot that could decide the fate of slots at Arundel Mills Mall thanks to this week's ruling by the state's highest court. Only this much is certain: It's a high-stakes gamble for all.

Marylanders have probably come to expect a lot of theatrics whenever the subject of slots is involved. But it's become particularly true for Arundel Mills, where the owners of Laurel Park and some local residents successfully petitioned the county council's slots zoning law to the November ballot and convinced the Maryland Court of Appeals to keep it there.

But that's all that this week's court decision accomplished. Besides potentially costing county and state taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars by possibly delaying what is expected to become the state's most lucrative slots parlor, that is.

How county voters will cast their ballots is difficult to predict. They endorsed the constitutional amendment allowing slots in the county by an overwhelming margin two years ago. County unions and anti-tax crusaders, both influential in Arundel, may find themselves in unusual agreement, as $35 million or more in slots revenues for the county is at stake. The presence of Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold, who supported the zoning bill and is running for re-election, on the same ballot should presumably help its chances, too.

But even if voters were to reject the zoning law, that doesn't mean the Arundel Mills proposal can't eventually move forward. Four of the council's seven seats are open. A new council could very easily pass a similar zoning law. In theory, the petitioning could start all over again with another referendum in 2012.

Confused? You should be. With the referendum back on the ballot, the politics of slots at Arundel Mills has hit a whole new level. The fight pits two profitable enterprises, Cordish Cos., the developer of the proposed Arundel Mills casino, and Penn National Gaming, against each other. Cordish wants the project to move forward while Penn National, which is involved in operating the tracks at Pimlico and Laurel, does not.

Indeed, Penn National has every reason to prevent slots from ever coming to the lucrative Baltimore- Washington corridor. The company operates Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in West Virginia, which draws customers for its sprawling 5,000-slot-machine-facility from the same area. The company's investment in the Maryland Jockey Club is a pittance by comparison.

Meanwhile, supporters of Maryland horse racing have an odd choice on their hands. Reject the zoning and perhaps slots may one day come to Laurel (though there's no guarantee of that, even if the project is ever rebid) or vote for it and be certain of the $47.5 million in aid to racing that the Arundel Mills site is expected to generate by 2012.

Let's say the state slots commission does decide that the Arundel Mills project has been stymied and puts the site up for bid again. That alone could delay the project several years. And it's entirely possible that whoever wins would face another voter referendum, perhaps by Laurel residents this time.

Still, the bottom line is that any further delay could prove costly to taxpayers. So much so that it's shocking that Gov. Martin O'Malley continues to issue statements suggesting he'd prefer to see slots at the tracks. The next governor can ill-afford to delay slots revenue — at least not if he wants to balance the state budget without raising taxes.

With so much at stake for so many, it's difficult to see how a referendum involving just 9.5 percent of Maryland's registered voters makes the decision more democratic. But that's what the court has given us: an Anne Arundel County election that represents a turn of the wheel for the rest of the state as well.