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House Minority Leader Alleges Slots Coercion

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Jul 19, 2008 4:25 pm US/Eastern

House Minority Leader Alleges Slots Coercion

BALTIMORE (AP) ― Maryland House minority leader Tony O'Donnell says Governor Martin O'Malley and Democrats in the state legislature are trying to scare voters into supporting a November referendum authorizing slot machine gambling.

O'Donnell said Democratic leaders will use the state's budget problems to push for passage of the slots referendum.

O'Donnell made the comments Saturday morning on a radio program hosted by former Gov. Robert Ehrlich and his wife on Baltimore radio station WBAL.

Maryland voters will decide whether to authorize as many as 15,000 slot machines in the city of Baltimore and in Allegany, Anne Arundel, Cecil and Worcester counties.

Gov. Martin O'Malley said in May that if the referendum fails, lawmakers will have to face a lot of unpopular choices to balance the budget.

O'Donnell said Saturday that the state can cut spending increases to avoid future tax hikes, or the need for slots.

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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