lowercase thought.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Slots Manifesto!
Who gave Mike Miller (me, not the uppercase guy in Annapolis) the right to determine whether 5 million other Marylanders can gamble, and what they can gamble on? I'm all in favor of a referendum on slots. If there's a statewide referendum on slots, it would currently pass according to polls along the lines of 60-40. People are already voting with their pocketbooks (reference again that sign on I-95).
Yes, the sticky issue becomes putting them in someone's "backyard". Of course, when you tell the local residents in Park Heights that 5% of the take on the slots machines will be given to the City of Baltimore in addition to all of the money the State takes and you relay how many new jobs will be created, it seems to ease any of the fears. Enough so that Pimlico's state district representatives have consistently supported slots with no real fear of backlash. Remember, Pimlico is one of the few businesses that actually employ a good number of people in that area, and at this point another 50 jobs at the track for local residents would be a relative economic boom.
While we're at it, let's discuss the profitability to the State of Maryland and its residents of professional sports teams. While some may enjoy some hardball at Camden Yards, there are plenty of people who much rather a day at the track (especially Preakness) and can't stand a three-hour 2-to-1 pitch-a-thon. Those people may bitch and complain that the Maryland Stadium Authority has shelled out countless millions to subsidize the O's and Ravens being in Baltimore, but the fact remains that the public supports the expenditure in order to have those teams here. By the way, we support those expenditures through--you guessed it--legalized gambling (a.k.a. The Maryland Lottery. Let Yourself Play!)
I'd also argue that the Preakness has the same if not a greater local economic impact on the City of Baltimore than an entire season of either the Orioles or Ravens. According to DBED, the Preakness itself and is worth $60 million in business locally. Add to that the fact that it's the single most significant opportunity Maryland has to remind people in California and elsewhere that we actually are a state (with a State Capital and all), and the impact upon our tourism industry is almost immeasurable. A recent Daily Record article compared the fact that Maryland gets exponentially more free publicity out of the Preakness on ESPN than it did out of hosting the Miss USA pageant this year. ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball may have Morgan and Miller give about a minute's worth of comments about a post-commercial break picture of the Inner Harbor, but that's about it. ESPN's "Breakfast at the Preakness" features about a half-hour worth of spots about Maryland, Baltimore, and all things jiggy therein (I believe they even mentioned Lexington Market this year).
So no, we don't *need* slots and we don't *need* the Preakness just like we don't *need* the Orioles or Ravens either. But do you like the sound of the Nashville Orioles and Las Vegas Ravens? Me neither.
Disclaimer: I currently work for a firm who has represented the Maryland Jockey Club. And yes, my position was the same before I took this job, much to the chagrin of many fellow Democratic activists.
Yes, the sticky issue becomes putting them in someone's "backyard". Of course, when you tell the local residents in Park Heights that 5% of the take on the slots machines will be given to the City of Baltimore in addition to all of the money the State takes and you relay how many new jobs will be created, it seems to ease any of the fears. Enough so that Pimlico's state district representatives have consistently supported slots with no real fear of backlash. Remember, Pimlico is one of the few businesses that actually employ a good number of people in that area, and at this point another 50 jobs at the track for local residents would be a relative economic boom.While we're at it, let's discuss the profitability to the State of Maryland and its residents of professional sports teams. While some may enjoy some hardball at Camden Yards, there are plenty of people who much rather a day at the track (especially Preakness) and can't stand a three-hour 2-to-1 pitch-a-thon. Those people may bitch and complain that the Maryland Stadium Authority has shelled out countless millions to subsidize the O's and Ravens being in Baltimore, but the fact remains that the public supports the expenditure in order to have those teams here. By the way, we support those expenditures through--you guessed it--legalized gambling (a.k.a. The Maryland Lottery. Let Yourself Play!)
I'd also argue that the Preakness has the same if not a greater local economic impact on the City of Baltimore than an entire season of either the Orioles or Ravens. According to DBED, the Preakness itself and is worth $60 million in business locally. Add to that the fact that it's the single most significant opportunity Maryland has to remind people in California and elsewhere that we actually are a state (with a State Capital and all), and the impact upon our tourism industry is almost immeasurable. A recent Daily Record article compared the fact that Maryland gets exponentially more free publicity out of the Preakness on ESPN than it did out of hosting the Miss USA pageant this year. ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball may have Morgan and Miller give about a minute's worth of comments about a post-commercial break picture of the Inner Harbor, but that's about it. ESPN's "Breakfast at the Preakness" features about a half-hour worth of spots about Maryland, Baltimore, and all things jiggy therein (I believe they even mentioned Lexington Market this year).
So no, we don't *need* slots and we don't *need* the Preakness just like we don't *need* the Orioles or Ravens either. But do you like the sound of the Nashville Orioles and Las Vegas Ravens? Me neither.
Disclaimer: I currently work for a firm who has represented the Maryland Jockey Club. And yes, my position was the same before I took this job, much to the chagrin of many fellow Democratic activists.
Docciavelli 2:37 PM