Maryland lawmakers voted late Tuesday to expand the state’s gambling-industrial-complex—fulfilling Senate President Mike Miller’s dream to build a mammoth casino on the Maryland side of the Potomac in Prince George’s County.

But Maryland voters could kill Miller’s gambling dreams on a referendum ballot in November.

If voters side with lawmakers, the state’s existing five slots parlors could offer table games as early as 2013, and plans for a sixth casino in Prince George’s County could soon break ground. But the majority of PG voters must vote in the majority with the rest of state to approve the sixth casino.

The House passed the bill by a vote of 71-59, with amendments, before sending it across the hall to the Senate late Tuesday.

The Senate concurred with the House amendments shortly after midnight and voted 32-14 for passage.

Amendment in the name of veterans is “offensive” O’Donnell says

The Senate agreed to a controversial House amendment to let veterans’ groups place up to five slot machines in their meeting halls for charity. The machines would pay out 90 percent of the receipts, and 10 percent would be split almost equally with the state.

The measure drew the ire of House Minority Tony O’Donnell during floor debate because a similar amendment offered by Del. Kathy Afzali, R-Frederick, was killed in a Financial Services Committee hearing on Monday—but then suddenly reappeared Tuesday as a floor amendment sponsored by Del. Sonny Minnick, a Baltimore Democrat.

O’Donnell, a Navy veteran, questioned the sudden change of heart—knowing Democrats had repeatedly killed identical legislation in previous years, and knowing Democratic leaders were using every carrot they could find to sway delegates right up to the last minute.

“It’s been rejected by this House year-in-and-year-out for many, many years, and it was taken up in the committee and rejected there yet again…and now it’s suddenly here before us,” O’Donnell said skeptically.

“I just thought it was a great idea,” Minnick responded. “For years and years, as you describe, we have not done anything for veterans. The opportunity came to me to make this amendment, and I figured this might be our only shot of ever getting anything for our veterans.”

O’Donnell responded that using veterans to secure the needed votes was “offensive.”

“This was offered so the support of the veterans could be used to push through what is otherwise a bad policy,” O’Donnell responded. “It’s offered to the veterans to use them for the vote.”

In rejecting Afzali’s amendment a day earlier, Financial Services Committee chair Frank Turner, said it was a complex matter better left for the regular session in January. He also said negatively that slots for veterans would be a “tremendous expansion of gaming.”

But speaking to the full House on Tuesday, Turner flipped and characterized the measure as a“friendly amendment” to his committee.

How the Eastern Shore voted

 

Delegates Voting No:

Norman  Conway, D-Wicomico

Adelaide Eckardt, R-Dorchester

Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio, R-Talbot

Stephen Hershey R-Queen Anne’s

Jay Jacobs, R-Kent

Charles Otto, R-Somerset

Michael Smigiel, R-Cecil

 

Delegates Voting Yes:

Michael McDermott, R-Worcester

 

Senators Voting Yes:

James Mathias, D-Wicomico

James Colburn, R-Dorchester

 

Senators Voting No:

E.J. Pipkin, R-Queen Anne’s