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Sheriff seeks ruling from Attorney General on Slots

Sheriff Cameron fears explosion of gambling will bring more troubles:

"unregulated gambling is the entrée for organized crime."

By Kenneth C. Rossignol
ST. MARY'S TODAY

NEW MARKET --- UPDATED (Oct. 30, 2007) Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot told ST. MARY'S TODAY on Monday during a visit to Leonardtown that he is firmly opposed to the return of slot machines to Maryland.

"It's a regressive tax and affects people who can least afford to lose," said Franchot.
The Comptroller has been taking an active role in leading the fight against slot machines.

St. Mary's Sheriff Tim Cameron told ST. MARY'S TODAY on Sunday evening that he has consulted with St. Mary's States Attorney Richard Fritz about the recent widening of unregulated gambling in St. Mary's County.

Cameron said that he has sent a letter to the Attorney General of Maryland seeking clarification of the law as it applies to the many Texas Hold 'Em games which have spread across the area as well as the dozens of slot machines which are now in place from one end of the county to the other.

"The code in St. Mary's appears to regulate bingo but that's all," said Cameron. The sheriff said he and the States Attorney were concerned about the new explosion in gambling. Bingo has been legal if the proceeds go to charity and the sponsoring charitable organizations provide volunteers to assist in the event.

Asked if he planned to shut down the slot machine parlors, Cameron said, "It depends on what we get back from the Attorney General, but I can tell you, that from a law enforcement perspective the unregulated gambling is the entrée for organized crime."

One armed bandits which pay off with tabs which winners take to the bar are located at the American Legion in Ridge, to the Brass Rail in Great Mills to the ADF Bingo in New Market.

The ADF Bingo Hall opened a slot machine parlor on Friday evening at about 10 pm with an announcement that the slots would be open for business until 2 am. The slots pay off with cash from the counter, redeeming payout slips, much like has been the case for several months at the Brass Rail bar in Great Mills. The Rod n' Reel in Chesapeake Beach has been operating with the same system for the past 10 years. The operators of the ADF Bingo told those in attendance that the slot machine proceeds go to charity.

Former St. Mary's States Attorney Walter B. Dorsey turned down a request from the former owners of a restaurant in Charlotte Hall ten years ago to allow them to install the electronic tab machines which drop tabs in the tray in the bottom of the machine instead of actual cash, requiring winners to go to the bar for payoffs. Dorsey told ST. MARY'S TODAY that his interpretation of the state law is that these new electronic machines are as much slots as the old ones.

The Maryland General Assembly is going into a special session on Monday, Oct. 29th to take up the issue of the O'Malley Administration's decision to maintain spending at levels over the amount of revenue coming in to the state treasury.

The plan to allow slot machines at 5 locations around Maryland ignores the reality that slot machines are already in place in St. Mary's County as well as dozens of locations in the state. Slot machines are legal now in West Virginia, Delaware and Pennsylvania with Marylanders taking hundreds of millions to these neighboring states.

The late Senator Paul J. Bailey introduced a bill in the General Assembly in 1947 which legalized slot machines in four Southern Maryland counties. Slots remained legal until 1966 when Sen. J. Frank Raley Jr. was successful in leading the effort to ban them.

Sen. Roy Dyson (D. St. Mary's, Calvert, Charles) said this past week that while he has always opposed slot machines, that it appears they may be heading back and in order to support legislation approving slots, Dyson said he will require that the money generated from slot machines be designated to fund mass transit and education instead of raising the gasoline tax.

"If anyone thinks Marylanders can afford to pay more for gas because of an increase in the gas tax, they aren't talking to anyone I know," said Sen. Dyson.

The horse racing industry has been cooking the books on their figures as to how many jobs in Maryland are dependent on race tracks surviving. One inside source says that the job total has been inflated simply to get slot machines passed and allow track owners to make huge sums, not on slot machines, but to be able to sell the racetracks to large gambling concerns which would then pressure for casinos.

"Gambling is a menace to society and make no mistake about it, if slot machine gambling is legalized in Maryland, casinos will soon follow," Rev. Gregory B. Perkins, leader of anti-slots group.

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Reader Feedback:

Don't bother going to ADF Bingo to be hustled, Brass Rail treats slots players nicer but Dover and Atlantic City still favorite place to play
I was very pleased to read that slots had arrived at the local ADF Bingo in Charlotte Hall. After reading your article it was stated that the slots was available for 10pm till 2am. That the proceeds would go to charity. A group of my slot buddies decided we would take the trip to the ADF Bingo Hall and when we arrived after speaking with three different employees and receiving 3 different answers a woman that was dressed as an escort than an employee came up to us shaking her head in a rapid no motion stated with a very negative attitude that we was not to be there that first we must purchase tickets to enter the hall, then we must purchase bingo booklets, then we must sit through all the bingo games which ends at 11:30 and then and only then would we be permitted to have our bingo book stamped so that we may play the machines. After being informed of this I stated that was not what was reported in the local paper she replied well it does not matter that she is the owner. My thought of all this is that the bingo parlor is not in search of charity money that it was just a ploy to get more money running through the bingo aspect by charging a minimum of $50 to even enter, this is very unfortunate due to the fact I easily drop a thousand dollars when I go to play slots I love them even if losing. So I am sure that my money was greatly appreciated later when I went to the Brass Rail to check their machines out. Both places I had never visited before and with the rude and better than attitude I received from the ADF I will continue to go to Dover and Atlantic City and if there is a weekend I don't feel like driving then I will go to the Brass Rail. I must admit the Brass Rail was small but made up for it with big customer service with a smile and a thank you come back again!

I would greatly appreciate my article to be posted so that other local's do not go just to be rejected and treated with such disrespect.

Sincerely,

Slots Patron