A special session to solve Maryland’s budget woes and complete the work left unfinished by the General Assembly should include a vote on a gambling bill to allow table games at state casinos, according to the mayor of Baltimore.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake wants the legislature to pass legislation to add poker, blackjack and other Las Vegas-style table games at all Maryland casinos and authorize a sixth casino site, to be located in Prince George’s County, a spokeswoman for the mayor told the Baltimore Business Journal.
A House panel reached a deal on the casino bill late Monday afternoon, and lawmakers appeared to have enough votes for the measure to pass the House floor.
But there weren’t enough hours left in the day to pass the gambling bill and a host of other legislation, including bills to raise new revenue to fund the state’s operating budget.
Rawlings-Blake supported the gambling measure, despite concerns from the city’s House delegation, because it would add table games at a planned casino in Baltimore. Caesars Entertainment Corp., which has placed a bid to build and operate the Baltimore casino, also supports the bill.
Gov. Martin O’Malley has made no mention of calling the General Assembly into a special session. But without extra time, $512 million in cuts from education and state programs would be needed to balance the budget.
