Maryland Moves into the Slots Industry
Maryland has long pined for slot machines. The industry as a whole has proven lucrative and has single-handedly gotten more than a few land-based casinos through the recession. Industry insiders know that the the slots market has proven to be a lifesaver for more than a few businesses. As of late, the debate over slots has gotten heated due to huge deficits state governments are under. Most states are still trying to recover from the overwhelming heat of the economic downturn of 2007/2008. They are making changes, but recovery is coming much slower than hoped by experts.
Now Maryland has officially made the push for slots to come into the state. Formerly there have been many problems with bringing slots to the economy and the loss of revenue has made a sutstantial dent in the money owed. The reality for the state is that every month they don’t have slot machine gambling, they are losing millions of dollars. Things are about to change though because has finally approved a slot machine commission license for a site in Anne Arundel County. The proposal has to get local zoning approval, but the move brings slots gambling closer to a reality than it has been thus far. Zoning approval is the only thing that conceivable cold still hold up the process, but legislators are hopeful that it won’t be a holdup and slots will be able to come into the state’s funding. If they do get thorugh the approval process, the largest slot machine facility in the state will be constructed in Anne Arundel County.
A former vote showed that people are in support of bringing slots to the state but Anne Arundel County was not on the table when voting took place. Now that it is the number one location of the slots parlor, people are concerned about potential problems in the area. They are worried that traffic is already too congested and an addition slots facility will only continue to put a strain on the community. They also cite the potential additional problems with crime and corruption. So far the state has already approved the location and will be bringing in an initial 4,750 slot machines. That will make it the biggest facility in the state and hopefully will bring in huge funds to help defray the deficit. If the zoning laws approve the faclity it could be open by December 2011.
Tags: Anne Arundel, approval, Maryland, slots, state
