ANNAPOLIS — A Prince George’s County casino edged closer to approval Saturday, as members of a House finance committee expressed confidence that a bill to authorize a sixth state casino and table games may finally pass this week.
Delegates on a House subcommittee huddled Saturday afternoon to comb through Gov. Martin O’Malley’s gambling proposal, which would authorize a casino site in Prince George’s County and Las Vegas-style table games such as blackjack and roulette at all existing casino sites. The bill, structured after the recommendations of a gambling commission that met earlier this summer, now seems to have enough support to win the necessary 71 votes to pass the House, according to Del. Jolene Ivey, D-Prince George’s.
A casino in Prince George’s would be likely to be located in National Harbor, local lawmakers have said, though Rosecroft Raceway is another potential site.
Both O’Malley and House Speaker Michael Busch, D-Anne Arundel, have indicated that enough votes have been secured among delegates to move the bill to the governor’s desk.
And, she noted, the governor had insisted he wouldn’t call lawmakers back to Annapolis unless the bill’s success was assured.
“I figure if we’re here it’s going to pass,” Ivey said.
The bill easily cleared the Senate on Friday despite hours of debate that took up most of the afternoon, as senators discussed more than two-dozen amendments to the gambling plan, most of which were shot down.
But the bill’s passage in the Senate was never in doubt. Two different gambling bills passed the Senate’s vote during the regular 90-day session.
More crucial is the vote of the House Ways and Means Committee, which fought over bills on gambling during the regular session. Del. Frank Turner, D-Howard County, said nearly every part of the legislation will be up for debate on Monday, when a bevy of amendments are expected to be proposed.
Those include a measure by Del. Eric Luedtke, D-Montgomery, which would create a joint-legislative oversight committee on gambling.
Such a committee would give lawmakers a way to monitor the state’s gambling industry and could complement the work of a gambling commission that would be created if the legislation is approved.
Prince George’s delegates, including Ivey and Del. Jay Walker, said they were concerned about provisions intended to protect Anne Arundel County and Baltimore from losing revenues in the event a competing casino in case a casino in the county creates losses at slot parlors in other jurisdictions.
“This is assuming that there is the economic harm that would befall any other casino is just because a Prince George’s County casino opened,” Ivey said. “The harm isn’t necessarily caused by a new facility, it could be caused by anything… are they just guaranteed a certain amount of money no matter what?”
Any expansion of gambling will be voted on by Marylanders on the November ballot. The measure allowing a Prince George’s casino site must be approved by both a majority of voters statewide and a majority of voters in the county.
