By John Wagner
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 30, 2008
A group that includes the son of Baltimore Orioles owner Peter G. Angelos and two former Maryland Democratic Party chairmen has donated $300,000 to the state's pro-slots campaign and might bid to operate a slots parlor if Tuesday's ballot measure passes.
The donations to For Maryland for Our Future, the primary group lobbying for passage of the slots measure, were confirmed yesterday by sources with knowledge of the contributions.
The money is the latest to flow into the pro-slots campaign from people with an interest in profiting from expanded gambling in Maryland, and it underscores the jockeying underway for the five slots licenses the state could award if the measure passes.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the donations had not been made public, said the pro-slots group received $100,000 each from Louis F. Angelos, a son of the Orioles owner and a lawyer in his father's Baltimore law firm; Wayne Rogers, a former state Democratic chairman and owner of an Annapolis-based energy company; and a family trust of Nathan Landow's. Landow is also a former Democratic chairman and national party fundraiser.
The high-powered group is considering bidding for a slots license at multiple locations that would be authorized by passage of the measure, said one source, who is not part of the group but is familiar with its plans.
"I think they'd have tremendous credibility," John Franzone, chairman of the Maryland Racing Commission and a slots booster, said of the group's apparent interest in a license. "Competition is a good thing."
Voters will be asked Tuesday to authorize slots sites in Allegany, Anne Arundel, Cecil and Worcester counties and the city of Baltimore. Legislation passed last year establishes a bidding process for licenses at the five sites, which are defined with varying degrees of specificity.
The Anne Arundel site, for example, must be within two miles of Route 295, a corridor that includes the Laurel Park racetrack and other locations that could be part of a competing bid. The group that includes Louis Angelos has been looking at land to buy in the Anne Arundel corridor as well as other locations, a source said.
Operators of Maryland slots sites would be allowed to keep up to 33 percent of gross revenue, one of the lowest shares in the nation. Still, slots boosters say they expect bidding for some of the locations to be competitive.
"I think we'll probably have at least a dozen different proposals," said Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert).
Calls yesterday to Louis Angelos, Rogers and Landow were not returned. A spokesman for For Maryland for Our Future also declined to comment.
If the measure passes, slots licenses will be awarded by a commission composed of three appointees of the governor's, two of the Senate president's and two of the House speaker's.
It remains unclear what level of involvement Peter Angelos would have in a Maryland slots operation. Under Major League Baseball rules, the Orioles owner is not permitted to have an ownership stake in a gambling enterprise.
In 2004, Peter Angelos's wife and two of his sons struck a tentative deal to buy Rosecroft Raceway, a financially struggling harness-racing track in Prince George's County, at a time when it appeared it could be a possible slots venue. At the time, Peter Angelos described himself as an informal adviser to his family.
The family backed out of the deal as the prospects for slots at the track dimmed. Under the proposal on Tuesday's ballot, Rosecroft would not be eligible for a slots license.
Peter Angelos and Gov. Martin O'Malley (D), who is championing the slots measure, have had a strained relationship dating to O'Malley's tenure as mayor of Baltimore. In June, they shared dinner in Baltimore's Little Italy at Miller's instigation.
Under state law, committees formed to support and oppose the slots measure were most recently required to disclose donations received by Oct. 19. The next deadline for reporting contributions is Nov. 25.
The donations of several other entities with an interest in operating a slots site were included in earlier reports to the State Board of Elections.
The pro-slots group's largest contribution, $2 million, came from the Laurel Racing Association, the company that runs Laurel Park. The contribution flowed through its Canadian parent company, Magna Entertainment, which is struggling financially.
Penn National, a Pennsylvania-based gaming company that is angling to operate the Cecil County slots site, was reported to have donated $1 million to the pro-slots group.
The group has also reported receiving $275,000 from the Allegany Racing Association, which is controlled by William Rickman, a Potomac developer. Rickman owns Ocean Downs, a Worcester County racetrack that would be eligible to bid for a slots license.
Three of Rickman's sisters have also donated $25,000 each to the pro-slots group.
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