Tag: slots
Economies now looking to bounce back as lockdown eases
The current pandemic has not just been a US issue but a worldwide one. It has meant that lockdowns...
Read MoreHouse floor leader didn’t like the gambling expansion bill he advocated, and won’t say if he’ll vote for Question 7
The chair of the House of Delegates gaming subcommittee who defended the expansion of gambling that appears on the ballot this fall is telling constituents he “would have voted against the bill” if he hadn’t been the floor leader.
In an interview, Del. Frank Turner, a Howard County Democrat, also declined to say how he planned to vote on Question 7 which would add a sixth casino and table games for all of them and reduce taxes for casino operators.
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Slots for veterans enlisted to help gaming bill pass
For years, veterans posts have come to Annapolis trying to get slot machines and the money they bring in to help them survive.The vets on the Eastern Shore have had slots at their posts for some time, but year after year, the House Ways & Means Committee has refused the same privilege to veterans groups in the rest of Maryland. Suddenly, Tuesday afternoon, the House veterans caucus was told that slots for vets everywhere in Maryland was going to be an ornament on the Christmas tree that the gaming bill had become. Delegates saw it as a blatant attempt to buy votes.
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‘Casino’ Turner still not hot for special session
The delegate who chairs the House’s gambling subcommittee still doesn’t think there will be a special legislative session this summer to expand gaming in Maryland. And if there is one, the only topic should be permitting table games at the existing slots casinos, not adding a sixth casino at National Harbor in Prince George’s County, Del. Frank Turner told MarylandReporter.com Sunday.
Read MoreBaltimore lawmakers’ concerns complicate gambling compromise
Any compromise on a 6th slots casino at National Harbor in Prince George’s County is complicated by strong regional interests of those jurisdictions like Baltimore City that already are supposed to have one of five casinos.
Read MoreState turns to leasing slot machines for more flexibility and maximum return
Flexibility and cost savings are behind the state’s move to start leasing video slots for Maryland’s five casinos, Lottery Director Stephen Martino told the House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday. The state lottery is responsible for procuring and providing the video lottery terminals, the technical name for the machines, for all five planned casinos.
Read MorePimlico race track helps Preakness neighbors get slots revenues
There are no slot machines planned at Pimlico Race Course but the Baltimore City neighborhoods surrounding the storied venue are winners nonetheless. Starting July 1, they will receive the first of the state-wide slots revenue — $2 million – allocated to them by law.
Read MoreDelegates betting on expanded gambling for more state revenues
With a bleak economy, no new revenues coming in, and a reluctance to raise taxes, legislators are wagering that new gambling bills will help the state find more money. The House Ways and Means Committee spent all Tuesday afternoon listening to nine proposals to expand or modify gambling in the state, including allowing table games at slots casinos and permitting slots in every bar, tavern and veterans hall.
Read MoreSlots revenues fall short of projections
In their first few months of operation, revenues at slots casinos in Perryville and Ocean Downs have fallen short of projections, but Maryland State Lottery Director Stephen Martino said that there are reasons, including the fact that the projections might not be accurate anymore.
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Maryland uses creative financing to buy $41M in slot machines
The state of Maryland is on its way to becoming the proud owner of $41.5 million worth of video slot machines for the Ocean Downs and Perryville slots casinos through the sale last week of taxable certificate of participation bonds.
The bonds sold quickly last week at a coupon rate of 5%, raising the funds the state needs to purchase 1,825 of the slots at the two casinos, said Patti Konrad, director of debt management in the State Treasurer’s Office, and Deputy Treasurer for External Affairs Howard Freedlander.
Read MoreAnalysis: Rich state, but social services funded poorly
At last week’s meeting of the legislative workgroup on state, county and local fiscal relations, Sen. Ed Kasemeyer raised a question that has bothered a lot of people: If Maryland is such a rich state, why are some of our government functions — such as higher education and social services — funded more poorly than other states where income is lower?
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