Slots at Racetrack Casinos Backed by Maryland Civic Unions

Maryland has been torn in two over the proposal to place slots at racetracks in the state. But public tax revenues from other sources are slowing, and more voters are taking a second look at slots as a way to shore up government budgets.

This week, the Professional Firefighters of Maryland joined other unions and civic employee groups in endorsing the slots plans. Government employees, even in essential service departments like fire and police, realize that pay freezes and layoffs are ahead unless new revenue sources are developed.

Budgets set when the boom economy looked endless now are not practical in the face of declining tax revenue. In Maryland, this may be the edge that puts slots over the top, establishing five racetrack casinos.

The five locations suggested in the initiative might host as many as 15,000 machines, and supporters of the gambling plan estimate state income could reach $600 million annually.

While those states already depending on gaming taxes have seen those revenues drop, it still behooves Maryland, and other states with gambling options, to find every source of funding available, to prevent a reduction in vital government services.