Governor O'Malley Continues to Push for Slot Machines in Maryland

On May 6th, 2008, Governor Martin O'Malley of Maryland commented that if the vote on slot machine gaming fails to materialize on November 2008, they will need to go back from the beginning with a lot of bad choices and there are a lot of people like himself that do not want to dwell upon it. O'Malley said that the profits that the state will receive from slot machines would be use to supplement the state budget and scale down the budget deficit.

The rest of the cash to supplement the budget of Maryland came from the $1.4 billion from tax increases which was approved on November 2007 during a special legislative meeting and more one billion budget cuts since O'Malley became Governor almost sixteen months ago. More than half of the expected $500 million that the state will receive from the slot machines annually will be allotted for education.

O'Malley said that they are just taking advantage of the Maryland residents going to Delaware, West Virginia and Pennsylvania just to play slot machines. Those gaming money will be more of use to Maryland compared with the other states. The slots referendum on November has picked up support in the past months like from the AFL-CIO, the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, the Maryland State Teacher's Association and the Maryland Association of Counties.

But critics said that the slot machines would not reel in as much cash has been predicted and that expanded gaming will harm families and the overall economy of the state. If the state voters approved of the slots plan, up to 15,000 slot machines would be allowed at five slots parlors in the state like in Anne Arundel, Cecil and Worcester Counties, Baltimore and at the Rocky Gap Lodge and Golf Resort in Cumberland.

Monday, 02 June 2008
Caroline Mitchell