City Board Says OK to Slot Machines

The city board of Baltimore has decided that slot machines are a good idea after all. Baltimore’s Board of Estimates has approved an agreement this past week that would allow slot machines to come in as they say that it is going to help residents and taxes. However, there are many who don’t want this kind of help and say that the slot machines are a bad idea.

The board said that they felt the slot machines were a good idea because they would be able to reduce the property tax rate based on the amount of money that would be coming in from the games. They approved a proposal for Baltimore Entertainment Group to lease the city owned land near M&T Bank Stadium to develop a new slot machine parlor.

The mayor says that she was for the slot machines because of the money that would be coming in to help residents, but that if the money was going to be used for any other purpose she would not have been interested in it. She said that the slot machine revenue would go to property tax reduction and school construction. They say that with the revenue they can hope for an eight cent reduction in their property tax rate which is the highest in the state.

However, City Comptroller Joan Pratt was the only member of the board against the slot machines. She said that people will not come from out of state to spend money at the slot machines in Baltimore. She said that the only money that would be spent at this slot machine casino would be that of Baltimore residents – and that it would hurt the state more than it could ever help.

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