PA Slot Machines Hurting Maryland

With Pennsylvania approving such a high number of slot machines, Maryland is starting to feel the pinch. They have been trying for years to get slot machines approved, but they just have not been successful. Many think that with the coming of a new governor, perhaps they have a shot of getting slot machines legalized at their racetracks.

The old governor, Republican Robert Ehrlich tried for four years to get slot machines passed, and Democratic Governor Elect Martin O’Malley is planning on trying as well. "[Legalizing slot machines is] the difference between life and death. Without it, we're going to lose the industry to surrounding states," Gerard Evans, lobbyist for the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, said. "We're being dismantled as an industry one coin at a time."

O’Malley said that he thinks he will have to get involved to get the slot machine measure passed, and that then the state can move past the issue. He has said that although he is against casino gambling, he is for putting a limited number of slot machines at the racetracks, just so they can continue to compete with Pennsylvania.

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