A Prince George’s County Council committee on Tuesday passed legislation banning slot machines from the county, clearing the way for the entire council to vote on the measure. The bill, introduced by Councilman Eric Olson, D-College Park, would ban slots and other video lottery machines, a measure County Executive Rushern Baker called premature before officials could bring the gambling issue to the Maryland General Assembly.
Penn National Gaming, which bought the bankrupt Rosecroft Raceway for $12 million earlier this year, hopes to bring slots and card games to the racetrack in addition to harness racing.
Gambling at the track could generate more than $2.3 billion in tax revenue for the county and state in the first five years, according to a study commission by Penn National.
“We have to keep our options open on revenue. I’ve got to be able to give the General Assembly a chance to look at every revenue scheme,” Baker said. “That doesn’t mean we want slots to come here, but we shouldn’t close it off until we see what the cost analyses are. We simply don’t know that yet.”
But a three-member majority of the council committee — Will Campos, D-Hyattsville, Andrea Harrison, D-Bladensburg, and Olson — voted in favor of the legislation.
Prince George’s County activists and ministers said the bill blocked an immoral activity from damaging county morality.
Pastor Douglas Edwards, of Mission of Love Outreach Ministries, called efforts to bring gambling to the predominately black county “economic racism.”
“The small people, the poorest of the poor, are the ones who fall victim to slots,” Edwards said. “As far as I’m concerned, they are the crack cocaine of gambling.”
Councilmen Obie Patterson, D-Fort Washington, and Karen Toles, D-Suitland, abstained from voting and said they needed more time to her the community’s opinions.
Darrell Carrington, a lobbyist for Penn National, said the company was disappointed the legislation passed the committee but hopeful it could work with the council more closely before the council votes.
New facilities at the racetrack would generate about 6,600 jobs, and some gambling revenue could be used to help build a hospital recently proposed by county officials, Carrington said.
