| Related Coverage |
|
|
A divided Prince George’s County Council set aside a bill that would effectively ban slots from coming to the county, and instead pushed for a statewide referendum to settle the issue.
The slots ban legislation, sponsored by Councilman Eric Olson, D-College Park, would have used the council’s zoning authority to eliminate the possibility of slot machines coming to any area of Prince George’s.
Instead, five council members introduced and passed a resolution Tuesday morning requesting a statewide referendum, similar to the vote taken on slots in 2008, to decide the county’s fate.
Led by Council Chairwoman Ingrid Turner, D-Bowie, four other council members helped push through the resolution: Mel Franklin, Obie Patterson, Karen Toles and newly elected council member Derrick Leon Davis.
The same five council members also voted against the slots ban, arguing that the issue is too volatile for the council to decide and would prematurely cut off the county from a potentially lucrative revenue stream.
Penn National Gaming, owners of the recently bankrupt Rosecroft Raceway, commissioned a study that shows that bringing casino-style gambling to the racetrack could generate over $2.3 billion in tax revenue over the first five years.
“This is all happening in the backdrop of our dire fiscal outlook as a county,” said Councilman Franklin, D-Upper Marlboro. “And our ability to generate revenue in this climate is restrained.”
Council members Will Campos, Mary Lehman, Andrea Harrison and Olson voted against the resolution and in favor of the slots ban, arguing that slots are not the right kind of development for a county that already has a reputation for high crime, poor schools and foreclosures.
