By Laura Smitherman and Gadi Dechter , laura.smitherman@baltsun.com and gadi.dechter@baltsun.com|November 02, 2008
After years of gridlock in Annapolis, millions of dollars spent by gambling interests, and incessant protest rallies, voters may render the final verdict Tuesday on slot machines in Maryland.
But don't bet on it.
Slots gambling has been one of the most intractable and enduring issues in Maryland political history. Forty years after the General Assembly banned slots and the last machines were rolled out of taverns and flashy casinos in Southern Maryland, known then as "Little Vegas," the state legislature has resurrected the so-called one-armed bandits and put their legalization to voters in a referendum.
If Marylanders approve the proposal and amend the state Constitution to allow 15,000 slots at five locations, so begins potential zoning fights at the local level, jockeying among gambling companies and developers, and the continued debate over the impact of gambling on the state's social fabric.
If voters reject the idea, so begins what some believe will be the sure demise of the ailing horse-racing industry in Maryland as well as epic budget battles in Annapolis brought on by the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in slots proceeds that would have gone to tracks and horse breeders and to help fill massive revenue shortfalls. And, some observers say, don't count on lawmakers letting the slots issue drop.
"This is merely the end of the beginning," said Del. Luiz R.S. Simmons, a stalwart slots opponent and a Montgomery County Democrat first elected to the legislature in the late 1970s. "The idea that the referendum will somehow seal the fate of gambling is absolutely sophomoric."
"It's a multibillion-dollar industry that has identified Maryland as a lucrative market," said Simmons, who has sent thousands of letters to constituents in recent days urging them to vote down the slots proposal. "They are not going to be put off."
In recent days, both sides have been crisscrossing the state and airing television commercials to make their closing arguments on the proposal, which would put slots in Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Allegany, Cecil and Worcester counties.
Polling has been mixed. A recent Zogby Interactive poll of likely voters showed a slight edge for opponents, with 47.5 percent against and 44.6 percent in favor of the referendum. That's within the margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.
