Maryland slots debate likely in 2003

David Dishneau

Monday, Jan. 21, 2002 | 9:48 a.m.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Recent gambling bills in the Maryland General Assembly have been like snow forecasts in Annapolis: much hype but little production.

This year's proposal for a constitutional amendment that would allow slot machines at horse racing tracks probably won't go anywhere, either, legislative leaders say. Even its sponsor, Delegate Howard P. Rawlings, is skeptical about the measure's chances, especially in this election year.

Yet people on both sides of the issue are preparing for a debate this session that could be a rehearsal for next year, when anti-slots Gov. Parris Glendening is gone.

"I think it's important to lay out the parameters of this discussion," said Rawlings, a Baltimore Democrat and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

A draft of the bill circulating among lawmakers last week would provide for a statewide referendum on whether slots should be allowed at four racetracks: Laurel Park, Pimlico, Rosecroft and the planned western Maryland track in Allegany County, Rawlings said.

As a proposed constitutional amendment, it would be exempt from the governor's veto. It also would require a supermajority of 60 percent in both the House and Senate for passage.

Even if approved by voters overall, slots could not be installed in any jurisdiction unless local voters consented, Rawlings said.

The law would require half of the proceeds to be spent on public schools and libraries, he said. The rest would be used to fatten purses at racetracks and provide other assistance to Maryland's horse racing industry, Rawlings said.

The amount of money bet at state racetracks is declining, a trend many in the industry blame on the lure of slot machines at the Delaware Park racetrack in Wilmington, Del.; Harrington Raceway in Harrington, Del.; and Charles Town Races in Charles Town, W.Va.

The Maryland Racing Commission's approval in November of a new track in Allegany County heightened speculation about slots, although the licensee, Delaware Park owner William Rickman Jr., insists he won't seek them.

Allegany County's political lion, House Speaker Casper R. Taylor Jr., said he supports the concept of racetrack slots. But he gave Rawlings' bill no chance of passage: "It's not going to have any action taken on it this year."

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller has also said he expects no gambling expansion before Glendening leaves office at the end of this year. Ultimately, though, Miller considers legalized, casino-style gambling "inevitable" in Maryland.

Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, a likely Democratic gubernatorial candidate, has stated her opposition to casinos and slots, saying legalization "would likely undermine our efforts to make Maryland communities safer."

Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, who is considering seeking the Democratic nomination, has said he would accept slots at racetracks. So would the leader among the possible Republican candidates, Rep. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.

Fifty-four percent of Marylanders would favor amending the constitution to allow slot machines if a portion were spent on education, according to a poll conducted by Potomac Inc. for The Baltimore Sun. The poll published last week had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Even so, many state lawmakers would have qualms about voting for slots in an election year, Rawlings said.

"Some of my colleagues are just nervous that the fundamentalists will come out opposing it strongly and target them for supporting it, even though the bill allows the people of the state of Maryland to make the decision," he said.

Kimberly S. Roman, co-chairman of NOcasiNO Maryland, said gambling opponents are primed for the fight: "We will make sure everyone knows who supports and who doesn't support this issue before the campaign."

Sen. Brian Frosh, D-Montgomery, who co-chairs a Senate gambling committee, said that with Glendening still in office and elections coming up, the slots debate won't go far this year.

"It's likely the next governor and the next General Assembly will be tested on gambling," he said.

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