Slots site in Prince George’s faces tough road to passage

With the Maryland legislature set to reconvene next week, a plan to bring slots to Prince George’s County faces several obstacles, including division among local lawmakers and resistance from Maryland jurisdictions that already have casinos.

Representatives of Penn National Gaming, which began a concerted push over the summer to put slots at Rosecroft Raceway, say they remain optimistic that a bill will pass once legislators realize the economic benefits for the county and state.

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But the 90-day session appears likely to begin without consensus among lawmakers from Prince George’s whether to embrace the once-shunned idea, and County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D) has not made clear where he stands.

Moreover, there are mounting concerns about whether adding a sixth slots site in Maryland is fair to other casino owners — particularly in Anne Arundel County and Baltimore — who would face unexpected competition just as they are starting operations.

Lawmakers would have little choice but to increase the one-third share of proceeds casino owners may keep, one of several complications House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) cited in an interview last week.

“This is not an issue that is easily resolved,” Busch said. “A new location creates a lot of hurdles in the legislative process.”

Although Busch did not voice opposition to the idea, he said he sees an easier path in Annapolis for a bill that would allow the addition of blackjack, roulette and other Las Vegas-style table games at existing casinos.

That is a priority for existing Maryland operators, who want to keep pace with offerings in surrounding states — and it is a change that would create jobs.

Busch’s counterpart, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert), has said that both a Prince George’s casino and the legalization of table games are needed to bolster Maryland’s fledgling gaming program.

Host counties keep a portion of slots proceeds, and Miller, whose legislative district includes part of Prince George’s, is also pushing a casino as a funding source for a new hospital in the county.

Sen. Edward J. Kasemeyer (D-Howard), chairman of the Budget and Taxation Committee, which has jurisdiction over gambling legislation, said it is questionable that the Senate would accept a bill that authorizes table games at existing sites but does not add a new location.

Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), who brokered the 2007 slots legislation, has been cool to the idea of expanding the state’s gambling program — though aides said he considered in recent weeks introducing a table games bill in an effort to assert some control over what is shaping up as a chaotic debate. O’Malley, who has a full session agenda, has since backed away from the idea, according to aides.

Although there is uncertainty about the path forward, few lawmakers dispute that Maryland’s slots program has yet to live up to its billing.

This fall, legislative analysts lowered the amount of revenue they expect the machines to generate for the state over the next five years by about $475 million — a 12 percent write-down. The weak economy, greater competition from surrounding states and delayed openings of Maryland’s casinos were blamed.