Seems like this may be the avenue for legalization....I'll track the bill and provide updates. But if it were to pass we would have poker in MD as soon as this summer

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opi...,3766724.story

As before, anything that the Assembly passes would have to undergo the same amendment process as slots. A vote in November 2012 would be required before implementation.

From the Daily Record:
http://thedailyrecord.com/2011/01/14...slots-parlors/

Apparently, Hixson (House Ways and Means Chair) and O'Malley are still against it. Guess Harrah's still needs to pony up some more $$$.

Misclick on my part...meant to say Winter not Summer. Now that is optimistic...if it passed referendum in the fall I imagine there would be some transition time. However some of the job postings on the Maryland Live site lead me to believe they are hiring assuming they will have table games up and running sooner rather than later.

Good point about O'Malley... but where this bill is coming from should be an indication of overall support. The Senator (Ferguson) who will be introducing the bill is a first term guy that has become quickly popular. I don't think he would do this without at least Miller knowing about it...but I am just speculating.

I searched here...
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/mar...3.photogallery

to see if Caesars has put some money into the lobbyist community in Annapolis...and if they have it is not apparent. If I have time today I'll look up O'Malleys donation records and see if they have donated in the past.

Why are slots perceived as less evil than table games when the exact opposite is true?

Ignorance is abundant and facts are not...that's why...plus perceived stereotypes.

However I don't think there is going to be much of an uproar about table games around here...once the slot battle was won it was a given

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...ROoQ_blog.html

I'm actually annoyed as hell with this provision. I've fallen head over heels over the Arundel Mills area - lots of people go the area, *lots* of hotel rooms, lots of shopping... and here goes Penn National and Maryland trying to break up what would be the nut spot in Maryland (sorry Harrahs Baltimore, the way you guys run things, youd go the way of Harrahs Chester in losing the battle to Parx) so they can prop up the ****ty old racetrack Penn bought that's right at the border across from Alexandria.

With the way the Beltway is, this is basically Penn trying to cut off northern Virginia for themselves. Bah.

Don't you think the competition will help to keep the rake low?

Also I don't this bill will past, and def not in its current form. Jesus, I don't want to go down this road, but gosh darn PG county politicians can't be trusted with this serious of legislation. They may be building a new hospital but they are also taking a lot of the profits for "development" funds.....so I guess we will be finding that money in another politicians wife's bra shortly...oh wait I forgot she was a politician as well

My only hope is that they are going to shove this down the House sides throat after passing it quietly through the Senate side. But if the PG folks on that side are bickering then I dunno...If this passes it will be because Miller made some huge moves behind the scenes

Oh and the biggest part of this bill is that it allows the casinos to keep all the profits from table games...which is huge

Bill text:
http://mlis.state.md.us/2012rs/bills/sb/sb0892f.pdf

The rake will be the same at both places. Rake competition is stupid for the casino. The poker room would just be lighting money on fire. From the business-side, the rake-anal customers that will travel an extra ~20 miles for a dollar less rake aren't the most desirable overall to the casino.

There are other ways to compete via a multitude of promotions.

Another problem with a third casino in the close parameters doesn't even have to do with the poker rooms... it has to do with the slots.

This article goes over the impact of the proposed amount of slots for the casino in Prince George's. Honestly, with the amount already committed for Arundel Mills and Harrah's Baltimore, that Prince George's casino, if it were to come to fruition, would be prudent to come in with a smaller number of slots and concentrate on the high-end with its proximity to all the DC/NoVa money.

One other personal thought... if the PG County casino happens, it absolutely has to be at the National Harbor. I haven't been to DC much, but made a point of locating and checking out both the racetrack and the harbor when I went down there this past week.

The racetrack entrance that leads out/into the older neighborhood is a safety hazard waiting to happen. Doesn't look to be the safest area already. The other entrance currently requires a very tight traffic pattern that is not doable for extensive traffic at all. The Oxen Hill Rd./Brinkley Rd. junction would need to be completely reconstructed.

National Harbor, OTOH, has all the pluses. It reeks of new money, has the straight shot from downtown DC on 295, straight shot from NoVa right over the bridge on 95. Stores, hotels, the marina... it's a win win all around. There's a reason Cornish Group is fighting against a PG casino. They got the DC market to themselves with Arundel Mills and poured a bunch of money into it. A casino at National Harbor would cut them right off at the balls by splitting up DC and cutting off NoVa and all points south (Richmond, Virginia Beach, Raleigh/Durham weekenders).

I hope the bill makes it through also. I was just annoyed at the blatent provision put in the preliminary bill regarding multiple-casino ownership that was clearly meant for Penn National and the racetrack. I'm very happy the statesmen came out touting a proposed casino be at the Harbor instead to put a wrench into Penn National's lobbyist money.

MD Senate approved a bill allowing slots in PG county and table games at 5 locations....passed fairly easily 35-11. Will have more trouble in the House but still has time, with the legislature being in session until April 9....

Keep your fingers crossed.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/mar...,3387881.story

Good grief 60% tax on gambling revenues?

People in Maryland can forget about comps, that's for sure.

Ironically, since I read legislation for a living, I didn't read this bill. Is that tax on all profits or just slots. Other versions I saw of this bill only taxes new slots not table games. And the incentives for MOB in pg county were huge. I could care less about all of this. Just want to be able to play some poker!

I'm just going off this paragraph from the article you linked -

"As a sweetener to state's current casino operators, the bill knocks the state's tax rate on gambling revenues from 67 percent to 60 percent. It also would allow table games at all of the state's casinos. "


Fairly generic paragraph. Would hope slots revenue and table games revenue get taxed at separate rates. I know Delaware gets raked over the coals with an approximate 50% rate, making budgets tight because of it, and that the casinos have been appealing for a lower rate ever since Pennsylvania went online.

The poposed table games rate is 10% in the senate bill. Hopefully the house doesn't amend the proposed rate or its gonna be 7$ rakes and no comps!!

So the Senate passed another bill Saturday allowing for slots in PG County and Table Games.....

The PG County Delegation is behind it but it looks like City Delegation demands and politics involving the budget are holding this up. Good news is that it looks like the budget and this bill passing are becoming tied to one another

Cross your fingers but it looks like it is going to happen...

The adjourned last night when it looked like gambling bill would fail in the House without passing the budget, so that means they are going to have to come back for a special session in which they will only address the budget and the gambling bill...most likely. The Governor and leadership set the agenda, but basically adjournment was held up because of the gambling bill. Senate President Miller really wants it to get through and the House keeps F****** it up.