Slots Proponents: About To Go Up On Baltimore TV

A pro-slots group says it is about to air the first television ads related to Maryland's upcoming referendum on expanding gambling.

In an email to supporters of its efforts, For Maryland For Our Future said the ads are needed to "counter the false statements made by Peter Franchot over the past year." Franchot is Maryland's Democratic comptroller and a leading opponent of the slots referendum, which asks voters to legalize up to 15,000 machines at five locations.

The content of the ads, which are expected to air on Baltimore television stations, were not immediately clear.

The email details Franchot's previous record as a pro-slots member of the House of Delegates (he says his thinking on the issue has evolved since then) and makes the case that slots will generate $660 million in a year for education by the 2013 fiscal year, citing a figure from Maryland legislative anlysts.

For Maryland For Our Future has previously aired radio ads. The leading anti-slots groups are not up on the air yet.