Maryland's Slots Bill Likely to Be Introduced Once Again
Delegate Eric Bromwell, who introduced the first slots operation proposal to be approved by the Maryland House, was reported as saying that he is likely to give the initiative another try. Last year, members of the House approved the operation of 9,500 slot machines in four different locations: 2,500 in Frederick County and the rest in Anne Arundel, Allegany and Harford counties. However, the bill ultimately died after the House and the Senate could not reach a compromise on the language of the legislation.
Delegate Rick Weldon, a Frederick Republican, recently questioned the logic in repeating an initiative, which has failed three years in a row. According to Weldon, nothing in the political calculus of the legislative process has been altered, meaning that nothing has changed that would make a successful slots bill any more likely than in the past.
Governor Robert Ehrlich said that he plans to introduce expanded gambling legislation for the fourth time. Under Ehrlich's proposal, 15,500 slot machines would be installed at six different locations across Maryland. Four of the sites are racetracks: Pimlico in Baltimore City; Laurel in Anne Arundel County; Rosecroft in Prince George's County; and a planned racetrack in Allegany County. However, according to Greg Massoni, Ehrlich's press secretary, the administration is not optimistic regarding the effort's success.
