Voters will enter the voting booth on Nov. 4 to face the important question of if we should we alter our state constitution to allow slot machine gambling. It is a question they must not take lightly; pro-slots lobbyists want to paint slots as a quick budget fix that has no real consequences, but the negative impacts that accompany slots will be indelibly inked in our constitution.
There is no question that both the country and the state are facing difficult economic times. But economic downturns are temporary, slots are forever. While there may be the temptation to find a quick fix, slots are a “fool’s gold.” Despite the many promises Annapolis insiders and gambling lobbyists make, slot machine gambling will not fix our economic problems in Maryland. Slots will not lower your taxes, fully fund education or magically solve the budget gap. What is particularly shameful, is that these same insiders brought you the largest tax increase in Maryland history and now want to threaten voters with more if they don’t get their way.
The rosy picture of balanced budgets and fully funded schools are as misleading as they are wrong, for they do not factor in the enormous social cost of slots or the overly optimistic revenue claims of slots advocates. Politicians in Annapolis have made no consideration for the increased costs of more crime, new roads, more bankruptcies, domestic abuse, divorce, traffic, more police and addiction counseling that will all come along with slots.
And where have we heard the promises of fully funded education before? Ah yes, the lottery. Despite record profits for over a decade, the lottery still can’t fund education. Like the lottery, slots will simply become another source of revenue for the general fund, because there is nothing stopping politicians from taking money currently being spent on education and using it elsewhere. In fact, they have already admitted that is exactly what they are going to do. The slots referendum is a classic Annapolis shell game, and schools will not see a single new dollar in funding.
Our state knows firsthand that the road to slot machines is littered with broken families and communities. Southern Maryland tried slots in the 1950s and 1960s, and the community was helpless as crime and corruption ran rampant. The state ultimately made slots illegal, but the lesson was clear: Slots are far more trouble than they are worth. I urge voters to learn from our mistakes and vote no on slots.
A state littered with 15,000 slot machines is not the kind of state we want Maryland to be. Maryland is known for the high tech jobs it attracts, the high standard of health care it has and its commitment to education. Our government is known for fighting for our citizens, not trying to balance the budget on the backs of families who can least afford it. We want to be leading the efforts in education and health, not debasing ourselves by being the last to enter and first to lose a gambling arms race with other states like West Virginia and Delaware to add the most slots machines.
Pro-slots groups have promised the revenues from slot machines will fund everything from storm water management systems to health care to education. I can guarantee slots will do one thing: Make rich gambling executives richer. The way the referendum is set up, the gambling industry will reap rewards to the tune of half a billion dollars every single year. With all the talk of bailouts, we now know one when we see it. Slots are just a $100 million dollar a year bail out for the horse racing industry; a government giveaway to a single industry with no guarantee that it will even work.
Annapolis insiders and gambling lobbyists have sold out Maryland families to the highest bidder in a proposal that will cost the state money and take money away from small businesses, churches and charities. We cannot and should not trust Annapolis on slots. I hope voters will not fall prey to the false promises of fool’s gold, and vote no on Question 2 this fall.
Scott Arceneaux is senior adviser of Marylanders United to Stop Slots.
