Gov.-elect Martin O'Malley called upon the Maryland General Assembly yesterday to legalize slot machine gambling at horse tracks, saying he was "sick of this issue" but feared that the state's racing industry could collapse if lawmakers did not find common ground early in his term.
"Hopefully, we can find some room for compromise and address people's fears about this being the camel's nose under the tent, and move forward to other more pressing, important issues," O'Malley said during an interview on WTOP (103.5 FM, 820 AM), one in a series of radio and television appearances yesterday in which he was peppered with questions on the topic.
O'Malley, who is Baltimore's mayor, said slot machines at racetracks would help prop up an industry that provides 18,000 jobs in Maryland and would ensure the survival of the Preakness Stakes, a nationally renowned event at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore that O'Malley called "the equivalent of having the Super Bowl in Maryland every year."
OK I would not mind legalizing gambling, we already have the Maryland Lottery, why not legalize other forms of gambling. However the key aspect of legalizing gambling is to regulate and tax (preferably 80% of the revenue). Also, if the proposed law reaches the General Assembly, why not prohibit casinos and gambling area in disadvanaged neighborhoods and let indiviual counites decide if the gambling place is allowed with consent of the the people?
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