Gambling Special Session No Sure Bet
Baltimore City delegation isn't set on special session for expanded gambling yet.
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This afternoon word broke that a deal for a Special Session of the Maryland General Assembly to put expanded table gambling up to the voters was close, but that may not be the case.
Del. Shawn Z. Tarrant, D-District 40, who was at meetings today with House Speaker Michael Busch, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and 10 other members of the delegation said a deal hasn’t been brokered.
"No I haven’t heard that, and to be quite honest with you, the Baltimore delegation hasn’t been pitched anything of any value to make us vote for this," Tarrant said.
But on Wednesday evening The Baltimore Sun reported Del. Maggie McIntosh, D-District 43, said after a meeting with Busch that a special session was likely to be convened in early August.
McIntosh did not immediately respond to attempts by Patch to contact her.
Raquel Guillory, a spokeswoman for Gov. Martin O'Malley, said she could not confirm that a special session is likely.
Sources in the House familiar with negotiations on the bill said a special session appeared likely for the week of August 8 and could last six days.
Earlier this month McIntosh, during a meeting with the York Road Partnership, said the city’s delegation held the cards when it came to deciding if there was going to be a special session on expanding gambling.
"Baltimore City delegates are not going to vote for the sixth site it if short changes Baltimore City," McIntosh said at the meeting. "They can’t pass it without our votes."
During the meeting McIntosh expressed doubt that a special session would happen, noting that the deadline to get the measure on the ballot was Aug. 20 and that she intended to be on vacation during the early part of the month, and had no intention of cancelling those plans.
Tarrant said that so far there had not been a compromise presented to the city’s delegation that would make them re-consider their opposition to the proposal for expanded gambling so far.
He said the city delegation wants to make sure that money from a proposed sixth casino in Prince George’s County as well as allowing table games would be diverted to school construction in Baltimore City.
Tarrant said the major hang up isn’t about allowing table games, but protecting the city from losses to its proposed casino because of a sixth casino at National Harbor.
"We would vote for table games, without even thinking about it, in the blink of an eye we’d vote for table games," Tarrant said.
But not everyone is so enamored with the proposal.
Del. Jill Carter, D-District 41, said that she would prefer the issue be dealt with next year during the regular session, because a casino in Prince George’s County couldn’t possibly be online before 2016.
"I’ll go [to a special session] kicking and screaming," Carter said.
Political reporter Bryan P. Sears contributed to this article.
Neil B
7:52 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
I wonder how much a second special session will cost us?
Murph
6:41 am on Thursday, July 26, 2012
Touche'
Brad
9:17 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Legalize gambling and marajuana. It's win win
Tim
8:25 am on Thursday, July 26, 2012
I agree. It's not without its problems, but last I checked, it's a free country.
Considering the fiscal condition it's in, money is flowing out of our state to nearby states re: gambling and there's tons upon tons of money to be made on marijuana regulation that wouldn't require more taxes OR excessive social service/spending cuts.
RK
9:24 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
I wish O'malley and Busch were this committed to gambling when Erhlich was governor!
Tim
8:26 am on Thursday, July 26, 2012
Yeah, and I love how Ehrlich spear headed it, but was conveniently stonewalled by the Democratically run house/Senate. Now with O'Malley in, amazing how they became more receptive to the concept...
Susan Harrison Huot
9:59 pm on Wednesday, July 25, 2012
I say go for it. It would be nice for Maryland citizens to get a hand in DC's pocket for once. Think of the influx of tourists that come in to that area..... grab em. After a long boring day doing business, let them give up some bucks to us!!!!
Miss Migraine
7:28 am on Thursday, July 26, 2012
Neil B.
A special session costs on average over $20,000 per day.
Tim
8:26 am on Thursday, July 26, 2012
Must be one hell of a lunch these guys order...
Neil B
1:39 pm on Thursday, July 26, 2012
Seems low when you think of all the support people that have to get paid.
MikeC
8:09 am on Thursday, July 26, 2012
I counter your win, win with a lose, lose. More poverty, more social problems, more crime all of which need more state money for treatment and control. Does the additional income cover the increased need for services? I think not, and here are some good examples: Has Las Vegas' gigantic income from gambling tourists helped raise their standard of living? Not really. Poor schools, huge social problems and lots of crime in Vegas. Atlantic City didn't bring New Jersey enough additional income to cover their state expenses, they still have very high property taxes and are cutting education to the bone, also, lots of crime. Mississippi's river casino's draw tourists from all over the South, Mississippi is still last in almost all areas in which civil societies strive to attain in the United States. These are the gambling meccas in our country. Maryland's casinos will draw gamblers from our local area. Granted there is a lot of money in our local area, there is also a lot of established crime and lots of social problems.
To anyone thinking that casinos are going to solve the state's fiscal problems I've got this great idea about trickle-down economics I'd like to sell you. No matter how many times you try it and concentrate its strength a bad idea is a bad idea yielding even more bad results.
M. Sullivan
9:13 am on Thursday, July 26, 2012
Maryland casinos are a joke in their present form due to the ridiculous conditions that were imposed by our brilliant legislators. Some examples: 1) They must pay 66% tax on their profits. That is unheard of in any state. 2) Based on the numbers Maryland Live! was crowing about, their machine payback percentage is only 86%, the lowest I've seen anywhere (probably because of the taxes they must pay), 3) No free alcoholic drinks allowed for patrons! Unbelievable! 4) 2 A.M. closing times, 4 A.M. on weekends. Almost all others are 24 hours. 5) Lousy comps (once again probably from the high taxes) 6) No table games. DE, PA, WV, and NJ all have table games. It's no wonder they had so few bids to build anything. Maryland really needs to change all these stupid rules to compete. As usual, they took a good idea and came up with a half-cocked implementation. I don't believe we need a special session, but we need to change. Also, let them build a casino in PG county. They will get a lot of business from VA and Southern MD. Don't hold your breath waiting for a Baltimore casino. If it ever happens, it will be an unsafe, crime ridden dump in 6 months.
Skip727
11:00 am on Thursday, July 26, 2012
My one question to the governor on his calling a special session is this: What is the "extraordinary occasion" which requires a special session to be called as defined in Article II Section 16 of the Maryland Constitution? Just asking.
Neil B
1:36 pm on Thursday, July 26, 2012
The have spend and "extrodinary" amount of money and need to cover it in the books.
Bob Allen
11:17 am on Thursday, July 26, 2012
The Baltimore delegation can't be that stupid, can they? AA County has a really nice casino already and PG county will get what will no doubt it be a really nice casino. Who will be attending the one in Baltimore city no matter how nice it is? Which of the three will get those high rollin' liberals from the DC Metro are? Whose left to take the bus the Baltimore's casino? Lastly, which of the three is going under unless the state bails them out every so often? Just wondering.
John T.
12:10 pm on Thursday, July 26, 2012
It's amazing how O'Malley and the Balto. City Delegation have made a 180 degree turnaroud on gambling in just 6 short years! When O'Malley was Mayor, he opposed gambling, but not because a Republican Governor supported it, he was concerned about the effects of gambling on citizens (Right). Now O'Malley wants to call another special session to expand gambling and the Balto. City Delegation wants to oppose it for fear a casino in PG will saturate the market and hurt the city's revenues when their casino opens. What a total transformation! How do we get these same people to be that open minded about other issues that affect the Baltimore City and the State - taxes, crime, government waste etc. - and change policies that simply have not worked?
Tim
1:51 pm on Thursday, July 26, 2012
Exactly John, exactly. O'Malley's about a big a flopper/hypocrite/fraud as Mitt Romney is.
Zoobie
11:37 pm on Thursday, July 26, 2012
Who's got money to gamble with in this ecomomy? Personally, I'll still go to Charlestown and play the nickel and quarter slots when I have a couple of bucks to blow. Nicer ride, environment, race track, and restuarants in W.Va. These goofball politicians here put a gambling parlor in a Mall, an Outlet Mall, and P.G. County for all the High Roller D.C. crowd. No Thank You !!!
M. Sullivan
9:08 am on Friday, July 27, 2012
Somehow, Charlestown was a lot nicer before they added table games. Now, its too crowded with nasty DC people, the workers are all stressed out, the machines don't pay as well, and it's tough to get a room at their hotel. Perryville is a nice, simple little place. Just don't expect to win much. As far as MD Live! goes; I'd like to know what mastermind thought it was a good idea to put the biggest casino in the state in the parking lot of the biggest mall in the state? It's not worth the trouble to go there for me. AC has the closest thing to real casino resorts around here if you can put up with the NY and NJ people. Those that are away from the boardwalk are better.
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joseph cartwright
9:08 am on Friday, July 27, 2012
Delegate Tarrant and most of the others will do what O'Malley and Busch tell them to do so this 'resistance' is a smokescreen. The only legislators with courage of convictions have been proven Jill P Carter and Curt Anderson on this issue. Wait, watch and see who votes for it and who doesn't. Tarrant will be right back after session making excuses for and justifying why he voted for it. Total fraud.