A local-choice provision in a referendum bill to bring slots and other casino-style gambling to Prince George’s could be preserved as a constitutional amendment, according to state attorneys.
The referendum would put slots on the November ballot, and Sen. Douglas J.J. Peters, the bill’s sponsor, said he wants to ensure that gaming coming to Prince George’s is predicated on a majority vote of Prince George’s County residents.
The state attorney general’s office issued an opinion last week that the local-majority vote provision was unconstitutional as is, but a new opinion sent to Peters Wednesday would allow it to remain in the bill as a constitutional amendment.
The November ballot would then have two parts: a question about adding a sixth gaming location to the state and a specific site within Prince George’s County, and a second question concerning provisions to allow table games at all the state’s six gaming sites.
Peters said Wednesday that a new version of the bill is being drafted to include the local-majority vote provision.
“The bottom line to us was: Can we draft amendments to the bill that would give binding votes to Prince George’s County? And they said ‘Yes,’” Peters said.
