Billy Hill and Frank Moran:
 

"We Have Saved Three Schools from Closing"

With ATM machines on their right, and slot machines on their left, these two gents help those willing to empty their credit cards do so every day.  Hill charges $80 a day to local charities for each machine in his popular restaurant and bar.  The rate works out to be about $40 a square foot, pretty pricey for Charlotte Hall.  But heck, its for charity, so who's counting. Billy Hill, left, and Frank Moran, of Frank Moran and Son Co. happily pose with what they call "pull tab machines" in St. Mary’s Landing located at Charlotte Hall. Moran won $450 at the end machine.
ST. MARY’S TODAY photo

By Kenneth C. Rossignol

ST. MARY’S TODAY

CHARLOTTE HALL — "We have saved three Catholic schools from closing up," proclaimed Frank Moran and Billy Hill in an interview at Hill’s St. Mary’s Landing Restaurant in Charlotte Hall.

Hill told ST. MARY’S TODAY that he has donated $160,000 to local charities since he installed the first slot machines, which he prefers to call pull tab machines, but the public plays them due to the machines being designed to function as slot machines.

Hill’s machines first rolled into St. Mary’s County at Thanksgiving and after initially placing about a dozen machines near the lobby of his popular roadhouse and tavern, he since pulled out all the tables from another dining room and turned into a gambling parlor which is busy from early in the morning to late at night.

"People in the restaurant business all around here tell me their business is down, liquor stores are off due to the economy and my business is up, we need these machines and so do the charities that we give money to," said Hills.

Frank Moran and his son Steve who operate the vending machine business which they firmly declare to be "pull tab" machines, said that their lobbyist, Bruce Bereano, of Annapolis, says that their business is simply that of supplying pull tabs and the product that they sell are the pieces of paper inside the machines, they retain ownership of the machines. Moran maintains that he pays all taxes on his income that are appropriate.

Steve Moran said that they have seen the bill being proposed by Sen. Thomas E. "Mac" Middleton (D. Charles) which will phase out entirely all of these illegal slot machines, or "pull tab" machines within one year, with most of them gone by July 1st of this year.

"We aren’t happy about this bill," said Steve Moran.

Hill said that the addition of the slot machines is saving his business and the money he gives the charities is written by checks he writes and signs himself.

The machines at St. Mary’s Landing designated St. John’s School, 4th District Optimists Club, Mechanicsville Lions Club, Mechanicsville Vol. Rescue Squad, Holy Angels School, St Mary’s Nursing Center, and Charlotte Hall Rotary Club.

Hill said that he has disbursed approximately $160,000 to the groups since Thanksgiving.

Hill says he handles all funds that are taken in by the machines and the vending machine company does not, that he pays the both Moran and the local groups from the proceeds.

Hill works long and hard around his restaurant and is the former operator of the Hill’s Halfway House which was sold to the Wawa company for a new gas station at Rt. 235 and Rt. 5 in Mechanicsville.

Hill’s reputation for good country cooking is well earned and widespread and he operates his present business in the old premises of the famous Frank Abell’s Steakhouse which flourished as a slot machine casino during the 1950’s and 60’s.

One proceed statement from St. Mary’s Landing for the Mechanicsville Lions showed that out of slightly more than $23,000 taken in on five machines for a two week period in January, that the Lions got about $3,600 with the balance about evenly split between St. Mary’s Landing and Frank Moran and Son. Hill says that he wrote out a check today for the last two weeks to the Lions for $4,000.

The fee charged by Hill is for rent of the space of the machines, calculated at $80 per day for each of the five machines. Moran and Son charges for the pull tabs, which are pieces of paper which drop down into a tray at the bottom of the machines.

The three Catholic Schools which Hill and Moran say that have saved from closing are Holy Angels in Avenue, St. Johns in Hollywood and Little Flower in Great Mills.

The spokesman for the Archdiocese of Washington has been asked to comment on the scope of the donations from the slot machine parlors to the parish schools and if the parochial schools would have closed had the donations from the slot machines in the last few months had not arrived.

Holy Angel’s school has been in jeopardy due to declining enrollment while St. Johns and Little Flower appear to have strong parish and community support.

All parochial schools are attractive to parents worried about the lack of discipline in the public schools.
Sen. Middleton told ST. MARY’S TODAY that the rules have been suspended for his bill which will outlaw the illegal slot machines and that a hearing is set for next Wednesday.

"This is a throwback to the Little Las Vegas days of the 1950’s with casinos on every corner, with political corruption, crime and gambling addiction problems," said Middleton who is no fan of slot machines.

"Just the way this has mushroomed into bars, stores and restaurants all over St. Mary’s in just a couple of months shows that they are uncontrolled and the lottery director tells me that lottery sales are declining in that area, and the state budget depends on this money to fund programs," said Sen. Middleton, who is Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

"With no controls over the operation and disbursement of the funds of these slot machines, anything is possible," said Middleton.

Buddy Roogow, Director of the Maryland State Lottery confirmed Sen. Middleton’s concern about lottery sales drooping in the last few months, in the area where the slot machines are spreading.

"Lottery sales in St. Mary’s County in the locations where the machines are present are declining," said Roogow. "Our sales are dropping dramatically and the state relies on the lottery bringing in a certain amount to make the budget work; this was the point of allowing the lottery to be created in 1973, 35 years ago, to properly control gambling in the state and to designate the proceeds towards funding the programs of the state which benefit the people of Maryland."

"We have a revenue target of $518 million to fund state programs and these slot machines in St. Mary’s are making a big dent and if allowed to proliferate could harm our ability to meet our budget target and is something totally out of our control," said Roogow. "It’s a lot different to have a referendum proposal to have slot machines at five specific locations and the racetracks, run and operated by the state with all of the funds going to the state budget."

The laws under which the slot machines are spreading in St. Mary’s could be used to sneak in slots to 11 other Maryland counties and such a disruption in lottery revenue could be yet another negative impact on state revenue at a time when the state needs such a hit the least.

Del. John Bohanan (D. Lexington Park) was reached in a committee hearing in Annapolis and asked if he was willing to raise taxes even more to make up for the loss of lottery income or if he was going to make sure Middleton’s bill would pass the House as emergency legislation and stop the hemorrhaging of lottery income.

"We are going to make sure the bill passes the House," said Bohanan.

Del. Tony O’Donnell (R. Lusby), who represents the southern part of Calvert County as well as part of St. Mary’s was also asked if he would raise taxes again or vote for the emergency legislation to outlaw the illegal slot machines.

"Tightly controlled regulation of these devices is appropriate and proliferation in an unchecked manner is not a good idea," said Delegate Tony O’Donnell, House Minority Leader (R- St. Mary’s/Calvert) when referring to the issue in general.

House Minority Leader Questions Motives of Bill to Ban Illegal Slot Machines