Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller wants slot machines in his native Prince George's County, a desire that threatens to inflame the gambling debate in Annapolis once again as lawmakers consider minor changes to bolster the state's fledgling slots program.
Miller, a Democrat who represents Calvert and Prince George's counties, said Thursday that he is in discussions with Prince George's leaders and others about bringing gambling to the county to help save Rosecroft Raceway, a long-struggling harness track. Slots could go at Rosecroft, he said, or at the National Harbor development on the Potomac River or at an equestrian center in Upper Marlboro.
Sen. C. Anthony Muse, a Democrat who represents the area that includes Rosecroft, said he holds a "social opposition" to slots and would prefer to see poker and other high-stakes card games at the track, something Miller said he could also endorse.
But Muse, a minister, said he is "open to looking at all possible options" to save the racing facility.
While Miller exerts much influence in Annapolis, the hurdles for expanding gambling are numerous. Maryland voters would likely have to approve a plan, and Gov. Martin O'Malley and top lawmakers said they are reluctant to reopen debate two years after a General Assembly battle that resulted in the legalization of slots in a 2008 referendum.
Asked about Miller's comments, O'Malley said, "This is the first I've heard of it."
The governor said he is "not looking to go backward" this legislative session to discuss issues that have been settled.
If the Senate passed Miller's plan, its fate in the House of Delegates would be uncertain. House Speaker Michael E. Busch said he knows of no widespread support among Prince George's delegates for expanded gambling.
"No one from Prince George's County stepped up to the plate" to ask for slots during the session in which lawmakers approved a plan to present to voters, Busch said. "In fact, that county was adamantly opposed at the time."
Del. Gerron S. Levi, a Prince George's Democrat who plans to run for county executive, said she opposes slots because the industry is "very damaging to our communities" and because, nationally, gambling proceeds "aren't the [state] budget panacea that they're made out to be."
Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson, who has opposed slots in the county, has not spoken to Miller recently about gambling, a spokesman said. Term limits mean this is Johnson's final year in office.
