Casino Gambling

GOV. PARRIS N. Glendening's veto of a bill that might have allowed casino gambling in Maryland shows again that good politics can be good government. His action helps keep this state casino-free and avoids undermining the credibility of recently stated opposition from Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, who is running to succeed him. Both have vociferously opposed more gambling in the state. The bill Mr. Glendening vetoed was designed to accelerate the process by which Native Americans seek tribal recognition.

Casino gambling could pump hundreds of millions of dollars into Maryland's lackluster economy or it could spell ruin for the state's centuries-old horse racing industry, advocates and opponents of the controversial measure told business leaders yesterday.Jumping into a high-stakes debate, a five-member committee appointed by the Maryland Chamber of Commerce held a public "fact-finding" meeting to hear the pros and cons of proposals to legalize casino and riverboat gaming here.That alone was unusual.

Most Maryland voters are opposed to legalizing casinos in the state -- even if the gaming houses would create more jobs, a new poll indicates.With the General Assembly set to take up the issue in January, the poll found voters currently oppose casino gambling by a margin of 57 percent to 32 percent, with the remaining 11 percent undecided.The nearly 2-to-1 margin of opposition was consistent among every demographic group surveyed for the poll, which was conducted by Mason-Dixon Political Research Media for The Sun and other news organizations.

Fifteen Protestant and Eastern Orthodox religious leaders are taking aim at legislative proposals to bring casino gambling to Maryland, voicing "unequivocal opposition" to the measures they say would lead to "family disintegration" and "violent crime."The clergy group found an ally last week, at least temporarily, in Gov. Parris N. Glendening, who urged legislators to resist the lure of easy money promised by 29 bills to permit casino and riverboat gambling in various parts of the state.Because the issue needs more study, the governor said, he would veto any such measures adopted in this year's legislative session.

OCEAN CITY -- A broad cross-section of county officials expressed strong sentiment yesterday against legalizing casino gambling in Maryland, saying they sense no groundswell of support for it among their constituents."

House Speaker Casper R. Taylor Jr. has suggested that a task force set up to study whether casino gambling should be legalized in Maryland might have neither the time nor the resources to do its work properly before the General Assembly convenes in January.Mr. Taylor stopped short of saying the task force should be given more time to develop its recommendations, a move that might have short-circuited efforts to push casino bills through the General Assembly next year.The speaker said he did not want to interrupt a study that was under way.But, in an interview Wednesday with The Sun, the Allegany County Democrat said he was worried that the joint legislative-gubernatorial task force has not considered the potential impact of pending Indian gaming proposals, nor taken a "big picture" look at the effect casino gambling would have on all other forms of gambling in Maryland.

When I returned to Maryland recently after a wonderful two-week family vacation, I was appalled by the continuing misrepresentation of my position on the issue of casino gambling and slot machines. Make no mistake, these topics are - and always will be - inexorably linked.Over the past two decades, throughout my entire career as an elected official, I have consistently and forcefully voiced my strong opposition to all forms of casino gambling. I have done so because the lures of "a quick buck" or a "lucky bet" run completely contrary to the core values that my father taught me and that I believe in today, namely hard work and a good education.

Maryland's economic development chief attacked casino gambling yesterday as an "illusory quick fix" that would drain business from the tourism industry without significantly boosting the economy or the number of jobs.Speaking at the 15th annual Governor's Tourism Industry Conference in Edgewood, James T. Brady, secretary of Business and Economic Development, said painstaking research casts serious doubt on casino-backers' claims."I find it very difficult, based on what I've seen so far, to come to the conclusion that this is the economic bonanza that some people would have you believe," Mr. Brady told 250 members of the tourism industry.

Casino executives from across the country promised Maryland legislators a fortune in tax revenues and thousands of new jobs during the General Assembly's first public hearing on casino gambling.Representatives of casinos including Harrah's and the Sands painted a tempting picture yesterday in which gambling interests could pay nearly $200 million a year in state taxes, create about 31,000 jobs and construct all the water and sewer lines needed to serve the gaming halls."The revenues generated for the states are tremendous," said casino lobbyist Ira C. Cooke, referring to the 18 states where casino gambling is legal.

Searching for a boost to the sagging area economy, the five commissioners of Dorchester County, on the Eastern Shore, have asked the state's casino task force to allow local residents the chance to approve a river-front casino in Cambridge.The request, which came in a two-page letter dated Wednesday, marks the first time the governing body of a Maryland county has given such strong support to casino gambling."We implore you, as part of your final recommendations to provide for one single-site gaming location on both the Eastern Shore and in Western Maryland," reads the letter signed by commission President Glenn L. Bramble on behalf of the five commissioners.