Vol. 5 No. 1, January 2008
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Maryland: Uphill battle
Although it wasn’t required of a statewide referendum approved by the legislature, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley officially signed into law the bill authorizing a statewide vote next year on adding slots to two racetracks and three stand-alone slot parlors in the state.
O’Malley’s ceremonial signing was meant to put an exclamation point on legislation that he crafted and ushered through a special session of the legislature. It authorizes 15,000 slots spread across five locations—4,750 in Anne Arundel County, home of Laurel Park thoroughbred racetrack; 2,500 in Cecil County near the Delaware state line (presumably a stand-alone slot parlor); 2,500 in Worcester County, presumably at Ocean Downs harness track; 3,750 in Baltimore County; and 1,500 in Rocky Gap State Park in western Maryland.
Last month, observers in the media and elsewhere began chiming in with predictions, and all determined that passage of the slot referendum is going to be an uphill battle at best. Polls indicated support for slots is static—it is not likely to grow, and historically, slot questions on statewide ballots have failed more than half of the time. Anti-slot forces are already gathering support from churches and civic groups to fight against the referendum.
