Overwhelming victors still face local slots opposition

As Maryland voters overwhelmingly approved legalizing 15,000 slot machines yesterday and ended nearly a decade of political deadlock, it appears local opposition is waning.

Local hurdles still must be cleared before slots arrive at the five locations prescribed in the constitutional amendment - including the 4,750 machines expected to land in the area near Laurel Racetrack in Anne Arundel County.

But County Executive John R. Leopold, who personally opposes gambling, said this morning he would not stand in the way because "a strong majority has signaled its clear and unmistakable support for this constitutional amendment."

About 60 percent of statewide and county voters approved the measure.

Mr. Leopold already has asked the police and zoning departments to analyze the impact of the machines and how local laws need to be changed. However, he said he would move forward only if there is consensus on the County Council, and two councilmen have publicly criticized slots.

The president of the Maryland Jockey Club, which runs the Laurel track, said this morning the organization will pursue a license to install the machines "as soon as practicable."

Opponents, meanwhile, promise not to stop fighting the changes to local zoning laws and continue to question whether the terms of the slots deal will attract any practical bids.

"Round two is coming. The election results are not going to change my opinion," said Councilman Jamie Benoit, a Crownsville Democrat who represents Laurel. "The 100,000 people in my district put me in office to exercise my judgment. And my judgment is these things are terrible for the community."

Tim Reyburn, a community leader from Russett, said he and his neighbors will fight against the measure, but they will first analyze how precincts near the racetrack voted.

That data is expected to be available this afternoon.

W. Minor Carter, who works with Stop Slots Maryland, expects mounting local opposition.

"I think everyone is a little shell-shocked today and tired, but I'm certain that there will be a fight over the zoning," he said.

Mr. Carter added that he doesn't expect slot machines to arrive any time soon, because the seizing credit market makes it impractical for a company to raise the capital required to secure one of the slots licenses.

The measure approved by voters requires $250 million worth of construction for a company to get all of the slots awarded to the Laurel area, an investment of more than $52,000 per machine. Additionally, the law limits the bidder's take to 33 percent of the revenue.

The head of Maryland Jockey Club, however, appeared optimistic that a slots license eventually will be approved for Laurel.

"Today is a good day for all Marylanders, including our historic industry," Tom Chuckas, Maryland Jockey Club president and chief operating officer, said in a statement. "We are extremely pleased that, after significant effort by a number of people inside and outside the horse racing industry, the voters have approved a measure that will be of great benefit to an industry which employs thousands of people in the state."

The next step is for state leaders to appoint a seven-member "Facility Location Commission" to settle details of the licensing process and analyze the specific impacts of slot machines on nearby communities.

The statewide approval by nearly a 3-to-2 margin ends a bitter and protracted political battle that set Democratic leaders at odds in a multi-million dollar campaign. It concludes a nearly decade-long debate in the General Assembly over whether to reinstate the gambling machines that were banned four decades ago.

Proponents pushed the measure as a way to prop up the ailing horse racing industry and bring $600 million more into state coffers, mainly for education. They argue Marylanders are traveling to West Virginia and Delaware to gamble and those dollars should remain here.

Both Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley and his predecessor, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich, promoted slot machines, but could not push a measure through the state legislature. Last November, Mr. O'Malley and other state leaders agreed to put the question to the voters.

Comptroller Peter Franchot emerged as one of the most vocal opponents to slots, joined by pastors and other activists who decried slots as a false promise that would not deliver benefits, and would instead usher in the social ills of gambling addiction and increased crime.

Voters approved placing slots at sites in Anne Arundel, Cecil and Worcester counties, the city of Baltimore and on state property in Rocky Gap State Park in western Maryland.

Voters at the precinct closest to Laurel yesterday appeared split on the machines.

"Anything that might save me a dollar on my taxes, I'm in favor of," said William Marshall, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle salesman from Russett. "We already have vices in the community. I'm not concerned about slot machines bringing any in."

Tracy Jansen, a physician from Russett, voted against the measure because she thinks it gambling disproportionately harms the poor.

"It would cause more of a problem than it would help," Ms. Jansen said. "Certainly, it would bring more revenue to our schools, etcetera. But, I think the majority of people who get involved in that (gambling) can't afford to. ... I think it just creates a bigger problem in the long run."