The situation in Anne Arundel County is the most convoluted. The County Council has repeatedly delayed a vote on a zoning change to allow for slots at Arundel Mills Mall, where the Baltimore-based Cordish Cos. wants to build the biggest casino in the state. Council leaders say they don't want to vote on zoning until after the state approves the license application. No matter that it hasn't worked that way anywhere else in the state, or that doing so would be irresponsible - the council could attach strings to the project that would change the state's calculations about its viability.
It's probably naive to hope that the sight of slots rising in Worcester County will inspire the Arundel County Council to finally make a decision. But when Maryland voters overwhelmingly supported legalizing slot machines in the 2008 election, they expected more than a few hundred machines on the far eastern edge of the state. They expected a successful, responsibly run program that would help fund state government without more tax increases. Arundel officials need to follow Worcester County's lead to get us there as soon as possible.
