Last Ditch Effort To Stop Table Games In Maryland Underway

Voters have had their say on adding table games at Maryland casinos, but before the voters will is imposed in the state, opponents of expanded gambling have launched one last-ditch effort to keep the state blackjack and craps-free.

On Tuesday, opponents of the gambling expansion took their turn in court. Tom Dernoga, a former Prince George’s County Council member, argued that the wording used in the ballot measure that passed in November suggested that only “qualified voters” be able to take part in deciding the issue.

According to lawyers representing the gaming groups that helped get the measure passed, Dernoga and other opponents misunderstood the intent of the wording. The attorneys claim that the phrase was used to represent the voters who turned out on election day.

It seems unlikely that the courts would strike down the voters’ approval of new forms of gambling at Maryland casinos. The wording used in the ballot measure is the same that has been used in over a dozen other states over the years, and none was deemed unconstitutional.

The ruling on the issue is not expected to come down until at least next week. In the meantime, Maryland is preparing to follow in the footsteps of Pennsylvania, into the Vegas-style casino gaming market. Pennsylvania has been highly successful in the industry, becoming the second-largest casino revenue producing state in the nation back in December of 2011.

Maryland has made a successful trip into the gaming industry already in their short period of offering casino gambling. The state is considered to have one of the most respected programs in the nation for the prevention and treatment of problem gambling.

MGM Resorts is the gaming group that spearheaded the ballot initiative, with the intention of building an $800 million gaming facility at National Harbor. Those plans are moving forward despite the attempt to have the voters’ decision thrown out in court.