A measure to allow Marylanders to gamble on sporting events cleared an important hurdle on Tuesday when a Senate committee voted unanimously to approve a bill sponsored by a Montgomery County lawmaker.
Under the watchful gaze of nearly a dozen lobbyists in the back of the room, the Budget and Taxation Committee — made up of nine Democrats and four Republicans — gave its approval to Senate Bill 4.
The measure would set up a referendum for voters to consider in the November general election. If approved, it would grant nine sports gambling licenses.
Six would go to the state’s casinos; Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park, the state’s busiest horse tracks, would share a license; one would go to the State Fairgrounds in Timonium; and one would go to a new Washington Redskins stadium in Prince George’s County.
Maryland’s four off-track betting parlors would also have the right to accept bets on professional and college athletics.
Each licensee would be forced to pay an upfront fee. For the Redskins, the Maryland Jockey Club (the company that owns Laurel and Pimlico) and the larger casinos, the fee would be $2.5 million.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Bruce DePuyt over at Maryland Matters