Its Time to Legalize Slots in the State of Maryland Essay

The issue of legalizing slots and/or legalized gambling in the State of Maryland is a complex one, and one of great consequence to both the State’s residents, and the future of the State itself. Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich’s slots bill proposes that the State place a total of 15,500 slot machines or video poker machines in six different locations, three of which would be chosen from a pool of four Maryland racetracks. The racetracks that would be eligible to install slots or video poker machines are Laurel Park racecourse in Laurel, Rosecroft Raceway in Prince George’s county, a track that would be built at a later date in Allegheny county, and the Preakness Stakes host Pimlico in Baltimore; In effect turning those racetracks into†¦show more content†¦Naturally, tourists that are vacationing in or around a gambling community typically have a larger than average amount of cash on-hand with them, which in turn makes them profitable robbery victims. If an out-of-town guest at the Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut were to be robbed at gunpoint outside of the resort, would that crime be attributed to the fact that Connecticut had legalizing gambling, or the tourism that said legalization resulted in? Conversely, if an individual has squandered their vacation or gambling budget in the casino, are they now viewed as potential criminal offenders? Again, it is nearly impossible to conclude whether or not these types of robberies are due to the casino that is attracting the tourism, or the fact that the community itself has now become a tourist attraction? A study conducted by the University of Nevada-Reno states that â€Å"when comparing the before and after crime rates utilizing the population at risk, the data reveals few consistent trends in crime†. In short, it cannot be proven that by merely constructing a casino or venue where any type of gambling is legal that it would create these spikes in the crime rate that those who are opposed to legalized gambling insist would occur as a result, and to believe anything otherwise would be a hasty generalization. Another benefit of legalizing slots in the State of Maryland would be the restoration of the State’s horse industry. Our tradition of horse racing in MarylandShow MoreRelatedIllegal Gambling3493 Words   |  14 Pagescost of running state governments, Here are facts you should know: â€Å"The gambling craze has swept the country with the avariciousness of a prairie fire . . The flames are out of control.†Ã¢â‚¬â€Columnist Arthur Daley, in the New York Times. In 1984 alone, Americans wagered $177 billion on gambling. That is twice as much as was spent that year on education and fifteen times as much as was donated to all the churches and religious organizations in the nation. The July 10, 1989, issue of Time magazine reported