Baltimore Sun Sells Out Maryland On Slots

Baltimore Sun Sells Out Maryland On Slots

www.MarylandersUnited.com

For Immediate Release: Contact: Bridgett Frey

October 17, 2008 Phone: 202-510-0632

Baltimore Sun Sells Out Maryland On Slots

Buckles to Pressure and Reverses Decade Long Opposition to Slots

Baltimore, MD – Slots opponents today accused the Baltimore Sun, the state's largest newspaper, of buckling to corporate pressure and selling out Maryland on slots in its editorial endorsement of the November gambling referendum.

Their support of Question 2 is a complete turnaround on an issue the paper has consistently opposed for decades, having written more than 75 editorials opposing slots over the past 10 years alone – and comes at the end of a week in which the University of Maryland, Baltimore County released a report showing that the costs of slots could, in all likely hood, offset the benefits, and the legislature's nonpartisan research staff concluded that even with slots the state faces a structural deficit through fiscal year 2014 and beyond.

Slots are not only not the cure pro-gambling advocates claim, they're more of the problem.

"The decision by the Baltimore Sun today to endorse the slots referendum represents the kind of reversal of course that raises more questions than it answers. It is frankly a slap in the face to the voters of Maryland and an abdication of its editorial integrity," said Scott Arceneaux, Senior Advisor of Marylanders United to Stop Slots.

"The board's endorsement of Question 2 does not represent what is best for Maryland - it represents the gambling industry's penetration not just into Annapolis, but into the editorial boardroom of the largest paper in the state."

The Sun has written over 75 anti-slots editorials in the last 10 years. For example, the Baltimore Sun's editorial board has said:

"Unrestricted slot-machine gambling is an invitation to corruption and addiction. Putting video poker in neighborhood stores can destroy families and do infinite harm to a community's sense of value. It is an evil that government should not tolerate - in South Carolina, in Maryland or anywhere else." [Baltimore Sun, 10/17/99]

"Like most things that are too good to be true, the gambling prophecy is a false one, laden with potential disappointments and - worse - real financial and social costs that proponents conveniently ignore" and "You simply can't gamble your way to fiscal heath" [Baltimore Sun, 12/17/02].

Described slots as "a robbing of Peter to pay Paul that would disproportionately cannibalize and cut jobs at nearby restaurants and retailers." [Baltimore Sun, 2/26/04]

"Once again, Maryland school children get to witness their future held hostage to gambling." [Baltimore Sun, 08/27/06]

"The constitutional amendment doesn't require more money to be spent on education this year, next year or any year slots revenue might be available. A governor could just as easily redirect general fund money that would ordinarily be spent on education for other purposes and thus make the impact of slots revenue on schools meaningless." [Baltimore Sun, 08/20/08]

"Even if approved, slots won't be riding to the rescue" of the state's budget crisis. [Baltimore Sun, 10/12/08]

On Tuesday, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County released as report which found that the pro-slots campaign has grossly overestimated the revenue from slots, with the actual dollars for the state probably coming in at closer to half that projected, or $333 million, and an amount half of that the gambling industry has "guaranteed" voters for education. The report also found that the social costs, which have been systematically ignored by Annapolis insiders and the gambling industry desperate to pass slots, will be astronomical and have not been factored in to state's estimates. All told, the costs to the state could be as high was $627.5 million – exceeding the potential benefits. And finally, the UMBC study found that slots could easily create almost 100,000 new pathological and problem gamblers in the state of Maryland, and money spent on slots will simply be a substitution of dollars from other purchases, which will have a negative impact on the business community, and mean less sales tax revenue for the government and less lottery revenue.

"The Baltimore Sun should now be called the Chicago Sun since it appears the editorial decisions are being made by corporate suits in Illinois, the Tribune Company, and not by the independent editorial board here in Maryland," said Arceneaux.

"What is particularly troubling about this endorsement is that it comes on the heels of UMBC and the Department of Legislative Services making clear that slots will not solve Maryland's budget problems; in fact, slots will only make them worse.

Readers have a right to know if this is a Tribune Company corporate decision from Chicago or a decision made by a real independent editorial board, that has been consistent for 10 years, in Baltimore? The history of the Sun on this issue and the circumstances demand answers."

In a briefing to legislators earlier this week, the General Assembly's Department of Legislative Services reported that even if slots are approved in November, Maryland will still have a structural deficit of around $1 billion in fiscal year 2014, when the slots program will be fully operational.

Marylanders United to Stop Slots is a broad-based coalition of community, business and labor leaders, clergy, Republicans, Democrats and citizens from across Maryland. The coalition is undertaking an ambitious grassroots campaign to stop a large-scale commercial gambling referendum in November that would amend Maryland's Constitution, while doing nothing to cut taxes and ease the financial burden working families are experiencing. For more information visit www.marylandersunited.com.

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20081017 Baltimore Sun Sells Out Maryland On Slots