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Should slots in Maryland be legal


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Legalized gambling in Ocean City could bring extra revenue to the city but also comes with extra crime and may lose its family orientated beach status.

Another idea is to have two casinos, one situated in the dead middle of the eastern Shore and one in the western MD panhandle to spur economic growth outside of the DC-Baltimore metro area.

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I think it is already a done deal. But they won't be coming to Timonium. Timonium is too valuable of a property for development sakes. Timonium is on it's way out as soon as they can find a new location for the State Fair.

Laurel is going to shift their racing dates to Pimlico and be demolished. A new slots palace and grandstand will be built in place of the old one. Then the plan calls for Pimlico to shift it's racing dates to Laurel and the same thing will happen. The Preakness will have to be run in Laurel one time due to the construction.

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I think it is already a done deal. But they won't be coming to Timonium. Timonium is too valuable of a property for development sakes. Timonium is on it's way out as soon as they can find a new location for the State Fair.

Laurel is going to shift their racing dates to Pimlico and be demolished. A new slots palace and grandstand will be built in place of the old one. Then the plan calls for Pimlico to shift it's racing dates to Laurel and the same thing will happen. The Preakness will have to be run in Laurel one time due to the construction.

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  • 4 months later...

if you all look back at history Charles county was the only county in the state of maryland that had legalized gambling in the state of MD or the east coast way before New Jersey and Delaware! It was the Vegas of the East coast as it was called. It started back in the late 50's and the state put an end to it in I would say 1965. If you ride down Route 5/301 towards Waldorf you will see old motor motels with swimming pools and old neon lights and billboards, these billboards once advertised the hotels and gambling. there was also a STARDUST motel in waldorf that is now gone, that the RAT pack and other famouse singers used to sing at. the WIGWAM bakery was a one of a kind Teepee casino which is now closed but still standing. further down route 5 near la Plata you can still see old motor motels. I hope this helps.

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I lived in La Plata until I was 6 years old. My mother worked in the court house and one day in the early 60's, some local wag actually placed a working slot machine in the court house itself. I'm not sure it stayed there much more than a few days, but they made their point. It wasn't long after that before slot machines in Charles County were history. Another gambling place was the old hotel- I think it was called the Spring Lake Hotel- up off 301 somewhere near Waldorf. I think the building burned down a few years ago. The Starlight's parking lot alone could have told a few stories!

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  • 2 weeks later...

The more states that legalize slots, the less special it becomes. Sure enough, revenues go down for everyone.

It's not good for Maryland that they don't get the revenue, and the people in Maryland have to drive to Atlantic City ... but if Maryland had slots it would just cut away from New Jersey and not be the huge revenue booster Atlantic City is now. Granted AC makes more money off other things on top of slot revenue, but I'm just talking about slot income.

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  • 3 months later...

I believe that Maryland should steer clear of gambling. Having grown up in Bethesda and I have noticed Ocean City gaining an increasingly trashy reputation. I know many families that have moved their vacation spots from Ocean City up the coast to Bethany/Dewey/Rehobeth/etc. If Ocean City wants to keep any decency, it will not want to attract the crowds that come with legalized gambling.

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O.C. is becoming the old place to go, hence the shift northward. The Del. towns are newer to many, and tax free shopping is more luring to many.

Perhaps a casino would do O.C. some good to refresh the place. However, the problem becomes (1) do you want an underworld like Atlantic City, (2) how does the rest of the city respond to a casino, and (3) there's too many slots going everywhere nowadays. Every state (but RI) seemingly wants in on the act. How thin does the slot market become before everyone starts suffering? PA has them now, DE has them, NJ has long had them.

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The more states that legalize slots, the less special it becomes. Sure enough, revenues go down for everyone.

It's not good for Maryland that they don't get the revenue, and the people in Maryland have to drive to Atlantic City ... but if Maryland had slots it would just cut away from New Jersey and not be the huge revenue booster Atlantic City is now. Granted AC makes more money off other things on top of slot revenue, but I'm just talking about slot income.

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  • 3 months later...

Laurel Park Slavers Over Slots

The prospect of legalized slot machines in Maryland has the owners of the historic Laurel Park racetrack drooling over the possible revenue. I'm not entirely sold on the idea of expanding gaming beyond the places where it's currently legal. In a word, can't Maryland find a better way to raise money? I've no doubt that slots and outright gaming have helped many places- Mississippi, for example. Is there a real need for this, or is it welfare for race track owners and others who want a bite of the public purse? Personally, I see no need for it, but would welcome discussion of the idea.

The Washington Post

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I believe that Maryland should steer clear of gambling. Having grown up in Bethesda and I have noticed Ocean City gaining an increasingly trashy reputation. I know many families that have moved their vacation spots from Ocean City up the coast to Bethany/Dewey/Rehobeth/etc. If Ocean City wants to keep any decency, it will not want to attract the crowds that come with legalized gambling.
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Let's keep this on a friendly basis here. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the opposition to slots in Maryland was being pushed by the agendas of other states. Having acknowledged this possibility, I still think Maryland could well do without gambling. It may help some states, but we need not have slot parlors from sea to shining sea. If gambling is increasingly allowed in more places, the available revenue from said gambling will only decline. The gaming pie is only so big.

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The problem I see is, many states rush onto casino gambling, slots, and lottos to make revenue. But all this really does is take income away from the poor and vulnerable. Plus, there is only so much room for casinos. The more there are, the pot gets diluted and they suddenly aren't the cash cows they once were.

In some states, it's seen as a way to boost the economy. Do you really think a casino is going to be a stable source of income for a state to rely on? I wonder how New Jersey is doing...

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Gaming revenue has helped some states - like Mississippi- considerably. As you say, however, the gambling pot is only so large and revenue streams will be diminished as more casinos and slot parlors spread over the land. While gaming can contribute to a state's economy, it must be monitored carefully. We have not discussed the social cost of gambling either. In many places, this can be considerable.

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Let's keep this on a friendly basis here. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the opposition to slots in Maryland was being pushed by the agendas of other states. Having acknowledged this possibility, I still think Maryland could well do without gambling. It may help some states, but we need not have slot parlors from sea to shining sea. If gambling is increasingly allowed in more places, the available revenue from said gambling will only decline. The gaming pie is only so big.
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The only reason why people don't support Maryland getting Gambling Casinos is the FEAR that it will remove Tourists that normally visit states like Virginia, The Carolinas, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi and its Revenue..............

I do not understand your reasoning here. While allowing full casino gambling in Maryland might bring in new revenue streams, it's possible that the revenue generated might be offest by other factors. I still see no need for casinos in Maryland.

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The only reason why people don't support Maryland getting Gambling Casinos is the FEAR that it will remove Tourists that normally visit states like Virginia, The Carolinas, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi and its Revenue..............

I do not understand your reasoning here. While allowing full casino gambling in Maryland might bring in new revenue streams, it's possible that the revenue generated might be offest by other factors. I still see no need for casinos in Maryland.

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