Maryland Faces Slots Invasion

The state of Maryland will be going the same way as Kentucky this November as the legalization of slot machines is at stake. The two main leaders of the opposition, Marylanders United to Stop Slots and Stop Slots Maryland, have been paving the way for communication between the lawmakers and the citizens of the state. As with many issues, this one is of high importance because it can potentially affect many people on several levels.

Some dislike slots simply because they think that prevalent vehicles for gambling will alter their neighborhoods in a negative way. From a decline in aesthetics to atmosphere, these effects are highly visible in counties where machines and casinos have infiltrated daily life. Unfortunately, while many people think they are fun, just as many people think they are not, and think they are hideous and tacky to boot.

Other people oppose slots in Maryland on a religious level, since all forms of gambling are considered a vice or a sin. Still others feel that the presence of the machines will threaten the family unit by corrupting impressionable young minds by their close proximity to school and churches. For whatever the reason, many people are staunchly opposed to slots in their state, even though many of the surrounding states already have approved them.

The two anti-slots organizations have even gone so far as to write a letter to a legislator, Secretary of State John McDonough, who has been a long time proponent of the machines in his career. The letter is a formal request for him to excuse himself from the process of writing the law, so as to avoid any chances of corruption through fancy grammatical loopholes. They are certainly covering their bases, as it would be naïve to assume that things like that never happen. We will all see what the outcome will be, come November.

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