Anti-Slots Strategists Swear Off Gambling Money
Anti-slots strategists sought today to put to rest talk that they may turn to out-of-state gambling interests to help fund their campaign to defeat slots in Maryland.
In a conference call with reporters, Aaron Meisner, chairman of StopSlotsMaryland, said the notion has "no basis in reality." Both Meisner and and Scott Arceneaux, a representative of Marylanders United To Stop Slots, another group working to defeat the November referendum, pledged during the call not to take any gambling money.
In interviews this spring, Meisner left the door open to the possibility, saying he could not speak for his grass-roots coalition. Since then, pro-slots forces have needled their opponents on the issue, suggesting as recently as this month that they were planning to take gambling money.
"We've always been grassroots and funded by the people of Maryland," Meisner said today.
The issue has received renewed attention in the past week with the announcement by Penn National Gaming, an Pennsvylvania-based company, that it is interested in operating one of the five Maryland sites that would be authorized. The company has suggested it might provide financial support to the pro-slots side, being led by a group called For Maryland For Our Future.
Voters will be asked in November to allow slots at up to 15,000 machines at locations in Allegany, Anne Arundel, Cecil and Worcester counties and Baltimore.
By John Wagner |
July 14, 2008; 11:42 AM ET
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Posted by: Robin Ficker Broker Robin Realty | July 14, 2008 1:06 PM
True enough, Ficker. I'd like to see a legitmate poll of how this thing is shaping up. It still seems that slots are destined to lose, but that "internal Poll" discuss a couple of weeks ago seemed to point to a close race. We may just have to wait until November to know.
Aside from a lot of pro-slots sales-pitches, I've seen no good analysis of how the introduction of gambling has affected communities.
Posted by: Donny | July 15, 2008 9:30 AM
I will vote yes when the vote comes up.
I am not a gambler myself, but I see no reason why games of chance are banned but at any grocery store, deli, ect. there are lottery stations, scratch off's and keno video monitors. Gambling is gambling be it a number played, a slot pulled or a bet made.
I think some one needs to research the history of legal gambling in the state and try to find the fault in it (if there was one) before they banned it decades ago.
While the smart people in Annapolis are being political prudes, we are looing revenune on what people are going to do anyway.
I think it's foolish that busloads of Marylanders (comprised mostly of retired and the low to middle working class) take money earned in this area up to WV, DE and NJ weekend to weekend, year to year and these states have prospered from the revenues adjacent states provide them.
Posted by: John J. | July 18, 2008 8:22 AM
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Slots proponents will be taking gambling money for the referendum this fall as well as plenty of it for their 2010 campaigns.