Maryland’s Delegates

With Pennsylvania joining its other neighbors bringing in slot machines, you would think that Maryland would be jumping on the slot machine bandwagon. But that isn’t so. They are actually holding out, waiting to see how the road lies ahead.

Pennsylvania will eventually have 61,000 slot machines across their state; Delaware and West Virginia already have slot machines and are planning expansions – probably into table games; and New Jersey has had it’s Atlantic City and all her slots since the 70’s.

The House and the Senate of Maryland have completely differing ideas on the slot machine measure. The House approved one bill that was defeated in the Senate last year, and it is bound to come up again now that there are four candidates vying for two seats that are opening up.

Michael James, one of the candidates for those seats said, “I don’t know that it creates any new pressure to get something done in Maryland…That’s been out there for a while. In totality, when you consider Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia and, of course, New Jersey, that may re-instigate some action on the part of the legislature in Maryland.”

Norm Conway, who is the incumbent, knows that PA bringing in slot machines everything for Maryland. He says it is more important than ever for Maryland to look into bringing in slot machines. Jim Mathias doesn’t think that it is all that important of an issue, and says that people want to talk about things other than slot machines. He voted against slot machines for several years, but now thinks that they might not be a bad idea.

Regardless of the recent action in Pennsylvania, the slots issue will almost certainly arise again this year in Maryland and the candidates for the two District 38B seats were candid about their opinions this week. District 38B candidate Jim Mathias said the slots issue has taken a back seat to other pending issues in the state. Bonnie Luna on the other hand, is dead set against bringing slots to the state, she says, “I oppose slots statewide…It doesn’t matter where they are. I just do not believe its good fiscal policy for the state of Maryland.”

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