Domino Theory is Proven As Maryland Debates Legalizing Blackjack
Maryland Blackjack
First New Jersey, then Connecticut, then Pennsylvania and now a Maryland lawmaker introduces legislation to make proper casino table games, as blackjack, legalized and licensed.
Just a couple of days after the beginning of the 2011 legislative session, Democratic State Senator Kathy Klausmeier introduced a bill intended to bring blackjack card game and other table games to the state’s casinos. Senator Klausmeier, representing Baltimore, which has the dubious distinction of not only being America’s tenth most dangerous city but the city with the highest unemployment per capita.
For close to a decade Baltimore has always been an inch away from bankruptcy, and due to a lack of a legitimately employed tax base, the legalization of Atlantic City/Las Vegas style table games is the only viable option left.
Backjack casino games generates the most revenue for casinos after video slot machines, and Maryland’s neighboring states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, which both license casinos, have seen an increase of tax revenues since approving similar legislature.
The state governor, Martin O’Malley, is undecided as to whether to approve such a measure, but holding personal feelings aside, has little choice in the matter unless he decided to cut social services. Maryland voters would have to grant their approval before table games became legal, but analysts aren’t counting cards that they would. Such a situation may put the governor between the proverbial rock and a hard place.
Senator Klausmeier explained that “when people go to any of the surrounding states, there are a whole lot of people playing card games. We really need to beef our casinos up. If we don’t, we are missing that group (of players). A number of my colleagues are very interested but no one said they would support the bill and no one has called asking me why you are doing this yet.”
Speaker of the House Michael Busch could not be reached for comment.
Baltimore is a horror. If they legalized drugs, selling which seems to be the primary occupation of residents, the tax base will expand. Since that will never happen, casinos are the only alternative since it would be political suicide to cut welfare and social services.
Let more states join, everybody play blackjack, don’t do drugs!
I remember passing through Baltimore once. We were supposed to meet some friends at a bus station. We were the only people there. The police verbally abused us and insisted that we couldn’t wait there without a ticket for the bus. We never found our friends. (This was before everyone had cell phones.)
Baltimore is a horror. If they legalized drugs, selling which seems to be the primary occupation of residents, the tax base will expand. Since that will never happen, casinos are the only alternative since it would be political suicide to cut welfare and social services.
Let more states join, everybody play blackjack, don’t do drugs!
I remember passing through Baltimore once. We were supposed to meet some friends at a bus station. We were the only people there. The police verbally abused us and insisted that we couldn’t wait there without a ticket for the bus. We never found our friends. (This was before everyone had cell phones.)