Oct 28, 2008 6:27 pm US/Eastern
Slots Opponents Take To The Airwaves

Reporting
Adam May
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) ―
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For weeks, pro-slots ads--mostly funded by the gambling industry--have dominated the airwaves. Now the other side is on the air.
One of the most divisive issues on the ballot next week is slot machine gambling. Now opponents are ramping up their campaign with new advertisements.
Adam May examines the claims by the anti-slots group.
For weeks, pro-slots ads--mostly funded by the gambling industry--have dominated the airwaves. Now the other side is on the air.
State Delegate Curt Anderson of Baltimore is a long time gambling opponent.
"What Annapolis won't tell you is that slots will cost Maryland $600 million," he said.
Like the ads, he believes the cost of increased crime, gambling addictions and bankruptcies outweigh the good.
"In order for us to win any money from slots, people have to lose money and those people will be the least that can afford it," Anderson said.
"If we have to make cuts to important things like public education and the safety net of our most vulnerable citizens, I believe those cuts will be far more damaging to more Marylanders than a limited number of state-controlled slots to keep hundreds of millions of dollars in Maryland instead of Delaware or West Virginia," Governor Martin O'Malley said.
"People will tell you how much money slots will bring in and they're lying to you because they don't know, they're making estimates," Anderson said. "It doesn't mean more money for education and there's no way to guarantee your taxes won't go up."
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