Casinos Fight Casino Expansion in Maryland

Market protection through the ballot box

In the latest chapter of the Maryland gambling fights, it's casino vs. casino.

A group called "Get the Facts Vote No on 7" will air an advertisement on television this weekend that argues against Question 7, Gov. Martin O'Malley's (D) ballot initiative that would allow table games at Maryland casinos and enable the creation of a new casino in Prince George's County. The ad joins a deluge of others, as part of what a local television station is calling "the most expensive political battle in Md. history."

The ad features a bespectacled woman standing in front of a bookshelf, citing her 33 years of teaching experience in Maryland. "I do not support Question 7, because I don't think the money will ever get to the classroom," she says. "I've heard these promises several times before, and I have seen no changes in the classroom." She says she feels like "politicians are trying to dupe us again."