Gambling machines would stay in Chesapeake Beach

Wood opposes devices after ban in St. Mary's

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The House of Delegates last week overwhelmingly approved legislation to extend by two years the date that businesses in Anne Arundel and Calvert must remove the electronic devices that resemble slot machines.

The General Assembly last year banned electronic bingo machines that proliferated across the state — particularly in St. Mary's — amid concerns that they were cannibalizing state lottery revenues and putting too much money into private hands, even though nonprofit organizations received a portion of the proceeds. The law required all businesses to shut the machines down by June 30.

Businesses in Chesapeake Beach that have long housed pull-tab machines argued that they were unjustly caught up in the effort to ban the unregulated machines and to protect last year's referendum on slot machines. This year, lawmakers from Anne Arundel and Calvert counties sponsored a bill to exempt their establishments from the prohibition until June 2011.

"I'm just trying to save the legal businesses that were caught up with the illegal businesses last year," said Del. Sue Kullen (D-Calvert).

Delegates passed the bill on a 127 to 8 vote on Thursday after successfully arguing that the exemption would pump $7 million a year into state coffers and save dozens of jobs.

The bill now moves to the Senate, which led the fight to ban electronic machines last year, but now appears likely to embrace the exemption. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert, Prince George's) is a close ally of Gerald Donovan, the owner of Rod ‘n' Reel Restaurant, one of the businesses impacted by the prohibition.

The eight dissenting delegates had different reasons for opposing the measure.

Del. John F. Wood Jr. (D-St. Mary's, Charles) still harbors resentment that his home county was forced to give up the electronic machines, even though they assisted nonprofit groups that relied on the funds. Some of those organizations are facing closure as donations have dried up, he said. "Why [are] Anne Arundel and Calvert special when we can't have them in our county and why should I support them in other counties," Wood asked.

A pair of Baltimore County lawmakers voted against the bill because one of their constituents owns a business that supplied machines to sites in St. Mary's prior to the ban.

abrody@somdnews.com