PHOTO ALBUM: MGM Reveals Designs for National Harbor Casino in Prince George's County

After the grand spectacle of a special legislative session and referendum fight to approve gambling expansion in Maryland, MGM has now released renderings of what the National Harbor casino will look like:

PRESS RELEASE   MGM National Harbor Reveals Design Vision for
Proposed Prince George’s County Destination Resort

Resort architecture draws inspiration from local culture and history;
Creates iconic gateway to Maryland at National Harbor
NATIONAL HARBOR, MD, September 25, 2013 – MGM National Harbor, a subsidiary of MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM), today revealed architect’s renderings and detailed video animation of the company’s vision for the destination resort it plans to build in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

SCANNED DOC: Lt. Gov. Michael Steele & Former GOP Chair Audrey Scott Endorse Maryland Gambling Effort (Question 7)

Yesterday, a Maryland Juice reader in Montgomery County received the direct mail letter below. The message comes from two prominent Republicans, former Lt. Gov. Michael Steele and former Maryland GOP Chair Audrey Scott. The letter claims credit for gambling in Maryland as a Republican effort: "Ten years ago, when gaming (slots) was first introduced to the State Capital by Governor Bob Ehrlich, we were enthusiastic supporters, as were most Republicans."

The "vote for" Question 7 endorsement from the Republicans comes on the heels of support from magician David Copperfield and boxer Oscar De La Hoya. Read the full letter below:

DIRECT MAIL: Lt. Gov. Michael Steele & Audrey Scott Endorse Gambling Expansion

TODAY'S MAIL: Gambling Expansion Supporters Argue Question 7 Protects Maryland's School Funding

MORE DIRECT MAIL ABOUT MARYLAND GAMBLING EXPANSION

A Maryland Juice reader forwarded us the latest direct mail piece in the state's casino wars. The mail piece below was received by a Montgomery County Democrat, and it argues that Maryland's gambling expansion plan (Question 7) protects school funding.

This defensive advertisement from Question 7 supporters is clearly intended to rebut recent arguments from gambling opponents that there are loopholes allowing casino revenues to be shifted away from schools.

You can see the new "vote for" Question 7 mail piece below, and a copy of the last "vote against" 7 piece at right.

Note that I live in Montgomery County, and my house only received the "vote against" piece.

Direct Mail from "Vote For" Question 7 Campaign - 10/16/12

DIRECT MAIL: Gambling Expansion Advocates Argue Thousands of New Jobs Will Come With a "Vote For" Question 7

A new direct mail piece has arrived at my house from the pro-gambling expansion side. The multi-page mailer argues that Marylanders should "vote for" Question 7 in order to (surprise, surprise) create new jobs:
Direct Mail: Vote for 7 Ad Uses Jobs Angle to Push Gambling Expansion in Maryland

Gambling Opponents Paying People to Attend Rally // PLUS: MGM CEO Asks Maryland Customers to "Vote For" Question 7

QUESTION 7 OPPONENTS PAYING FOR RALLY ATTENDEES: Yesterday, an anonymous reader forwarded Maryland Juice evidence that interests who are pushing a "vote against" gambling expansion (Question 7) are paying people to attend a protest rally. They sent us a link to the following Craigslist ad:

Here's the text of the ad if you click on the link:

Rally participant/filler-1 hour paid gig (Upper Marlboro)

Date: 2012-09-30, 4:25PM EDT
Reply to this post CausesAreUs@gmail.com

"NO TO QUESTION 7" GRASSROOTS RALLY

One day, 1.5 hour project. You will be a rally participant. Duties are to stand in crowd, clap, cheer, hold a sign and be on time. Children are welcome. No further commitment. Payment at end of the rally.

Serious inquiries and candidates only. Referral bonus added to your pay if you refer others who sign up and participate or come as a group of 3 or more.

Tuesday October 2, 2012  9:15 am to 10:30 am in Upper Marlboro. Bus transportation provided from some areas.

Apply by Monday, October 1st until 11:00 pm at CausesAreUs@gmail.com.

Causes Are Us represents many non-profit, entertainment, political, community events and causes. To continue being contacted for short term opportunities, send your name, email, 2 phone numbers and general availability to CausesAreUs@gmail.com.
Location: Upper Marlboro

Compensation: $25-45 per person
PostingID: 3307205468

Notably, the date and time mentioned in the ad above do indeed coincide with a "No to Question 7" rally being advertised in Prince George's County. See the rally advertisement below:

COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT COALITION

“NO TO QUESTION 7” GRASSROOTS

A PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY COMMUNITY FAITH BASED INITIATIVE

4725 Silver Hill Road, Suitland, Maryland

240.350.4373

MEDIA ADVISORY
September 28, 2012
For Immediate Release

Contact: Melvin Forbes, President, Community Empowerment Coalition (CEC)

“No to Question 7” grassroots community rally press conference scheduled for 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Tuesday October 2, 2012 at the County Administration Building, 14741 Governor Oden Bowie Drive, Upper Marlboro, Maryland, 20772-3050.

Free Bus transportation will be provided departing 8:30 a.m. from 4725 Silver Hill Road, Suitland, Maryland. To ride this bus to voice your opposition to “Question 7” please R.S.V.P. CEC at 240.350.4374 by 3:00 p.m. Sunday September 30, 2012.

The Washington Post's John Wagner beat me to the punch writing up this unusual twist in the Question 7 saga. He contacted the event organizers, but of course, nobody is taking responsibility for the ad (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: ...the organizers claimed to have nothing to do with the ad — and no one else exactly stepped forward to take responsibility either....

MGM ACTIVATES ITS EMAIL LIST OF CUSTOMERS IN MARYLAND: Meanwhile, Question 7 supporters are also pulling out all the stops to get gambling expansion approved in Maryland. A Maryland Juice reader who happens to be on casino company MGM's email list forwarded us the following email blast. Hat tip: @NextGenPersuade. Our source included the following comment: "Thought this would interest you -- MGM just blasted their loyalty club list re Question 7. I'm not at all an active member, either." See the message below:

From: MGM Resorts International <lasvegas@hotel.mgmresorts.com>
Date: Mon, Oct 1, 2012 at 9:52 PM
Subject: A Special Message from MGM CEO, Jim Murren

October 1, 2012

Dear Juice, 

Thank you for your continued patronage of MGM Resorts International destinations. I hope you are enjoying the benefits of our M life membership and taking full advantage of all that it offers. 

Our Maryland M life members have an opportunity this November. As you probably are aware, the Maryland Legislature passed a bill that placed a referendum question on the ballot that allows for a sixth gaming site in Prince George’s County and table games, such as poker and blackjack, at all Maryland facilities. 

I hope you will consider voting FOR Question 7 this November. Expanding Maryland’s gaming industry will create 2,000 construction jobs, 4,000 permanent jobs, and 6,000 combined tourism and table game jobs. It will also generate hundreds of millions for education and keep Maryland competitive with West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Delaware -- each year, Maryland loses over $500 million dollars to these neighboring states. 

If Question 7 passes, MGM Resorts International would bid to bring a world class destination resort facility to Maryland. We want Marylanders to experience the same type of multi-faceted, destination resort you enjoy when visiting our luxury resorts in Las Vegas with four star hotels, top entertainment and dining offerings, luxurious spas and high end retail. We are prepared to submit a bid to develop an $800 million resort at National Harbor. We feel we would bring new depth to the state’s current gaming offerings, which would attract new customers. 

This is an important issue at an important time for Maryland. We believe so strongly in this opportunity that we are opening an office at National Harbor so we can meet with the community and help voters understand all that a MGM destination resort can offer. We also want Marylanders to know what a good community partner MGM Resorts can be. 

We also encourage you to visit the coalition website: FOR Maryland Jobs and Schools:www.voteforseven.com, or click here to follow the coalition on Facebook or on Twitter.

Thanks for your time and, again, thank you for being a valued member of M life. 

Sincerely, 


Jim Murren 
Chairman and CEO 
MGM Resorts International 

Authorized by FOR Maryland Jobs & Schools, Inc, Tim O'Brien, Treasurer.

 MORE ON THE QUESTION 7 BATTLE SOON!

DIRECT MAIL: Two Mail Pieces Arrive on Same Day Urging "Vote Against" Gambling Expansion // READ ONLINE

If you live in Maryland, you are surely noticing the barrage of gambling related advertising hitting the airwaves and mailboxes. Yesterday, Maryland Juice received two direct mail pieces arguing for a "vote against" Question 7 (gambling expansion). See the mailers below:
DIRECT MAIL: Vote No on Question 7 - "Unemployed"

DIRECT MAIL: Vote No on Question 7 - "Loophole"

VIDEOS: Out-of-State Casinos Launch War Over Gambling Expansion in Maryland // WATCH QUESTION 7 TV ADS

Maryland Juice has been following the heated debate over whether to expand gambling and add table games to Free State casinos. Indeed, this November Maryland voters will be asked to decide on the fate of gambling expansion through "Question 7" (a vote "FOR" would expand gambling, while a vote "AGAINST" would limit gambling to the currently approved slot machine sites). In an editorial piece, The Washington Post recently noted that the media war over the issue has already begun -- to the tune of millions of dollars in advertising by non-Maryland casino interests (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: A pitched TV ad war is underway in Maryland, pitting one out-of-state ­gaming-industry behemoth against another. At last count, the two firms had spent $15 million in the fight to influence voters, who will cast ballots in November on an expansion of gambling in Maryland that would authorize a sixth casino and add table games such as poker at all venues....

The main combatants — though the ads don’t name them — are Las Vegas-based MGM Resorts International and Pennsylvania-based Penn National Gaming. If voters approve the expansion, MGM has the inside track to build what could be an $800 million casino at National Harbor in Prince George’s County; unsurprisingly, it is behind the pro-expansion ads. Penn National is worried that the new casino would sap profits at its own marquee property 90 minutes away, Hollywood Casino in Charles Town, W.Va.; it has paid for the ads against expansion....

Copies of many of these advertisements are available online (Hat tip: Maryland's rightwing Monoblogue). I've included a few examples below, so that you can see what the propaganda looks like surrounding Question 7. The ads below are being promoted by the campaign websites for the casino operators (VoteForSeven.com and FactsOn7.com):

PRO-GAMBLING AD #1 URGING VOTE "FOR" QUESTION 7:

 
PRO-GAMBLING AD #2 URGING VOTE "FOR" QUESTION 7:

  ANTI-GAMBLING AD #1 URGING VOTE "AGAINST" QUESTION 7:        

Slot Machines in College Park, Easton & Frederick? // New Gambling Law Puts Neighborhood Slots at Veterans Halls

DOUBLE-UPDATE: Delegate Doyle Neimann of Prince George's County has provided Maryland Juice with a rebuttal of some of the points raised below by Fred Nordham and Delegate Eric Luedtke.

UPDATE: A few knowledgeable readers have sent in clarifications about the workings of the veterans hall slot machines. The added details may remove a few worries about the new law. First, the veterans halls with slot machines are not exactly open to the public. VFW and American Legion members and their guests can gamble at the facilities, but they do not appear to be open to non-members. It is unclear whether this is stipulated in Maryland's new gambling law, or whether this is simply a fact of how the veterans halls are organized. Additionally, the slot machines in the veterans halls will look like slot machines, but the technology for them is a bit different.

Below you can see the clarifications Maryland Juice received from Delegate Eric Luedtke (District 14 Democrat) and Fred Nordhorn from the Prince George's County Commission for Veterans:

DELEGATE ERIC LUEDTKE: Slot machines have been authorized in veterans halls in most eastern shore counties (including Talbot Co., which includes Easton) for about 20 years, so your mentioning Easton in the title of your post is probably not on target. Most people don't know that, largely because these foreign legion and VFW posts are members-only, therefore not open to the general public, therefore not 'neighborhood slots parlors'.

Maryland Gambling Expansion Heading to November Ballot // ROLL CALL: House Barely Approves Table Games & PG Casino

PLUS: SEE HOUSE ROLL CALL INFO & ANOTHER GAMBLING MAILER BELOW

Local political reporters are all highlighting the results of Maryland's second special legislative session in 2012. After weeks of heated debate, the Maryland House of Delegates approved the gambling expansion plan -- with no votes to spare. Gambling proponents needed 71 votes in the House to pass gambling, and they received exactly 71 votes. The State Senate already approved the gambling expansion plan on Friday, so about an hour ago, Gov. Martin O'Malley signed the casino referendum bill. That means that gambling is heading to the November ballot alongside marriage equality, the Dream Act, and Maryland's Congressional redistricting plan.

SENATE PRESIDENT MIKE MILLER NOW CLAIMS GAMBLING "NOT THE WAY" TO FUND GOVERNMENT - Below is a quick round-up of local news coverage about the Maryland House's approval of the gambling bill. Amazingly, Senate President Mike Miller -- who is directly responsible for the casino push in Maryland -- is now saying gambling is "not the way" to fund government! See an excerpt from the Maryland Reporter special session coverage below:

MARYLAND REPORTER: By the bare minimum of 71 votes, the House of Delegates Monday night gave Senate President Mike Miller the kind of “sine die” adjournment he had expected April 9: The delegates passed a bill asking voters in November to approve table games and a sixth gambling casino in Prince George’s County....

A subdued Miller, believed by most legislators to have bullied O’Malley and Busch back into session, refused to gloat or take a victory lap after the Senate concurred in the House amendments and passed the bill 32-14....

“It’s a fad, it’s a fancy, it’s wrong, it’s not the way to fund government,” Miller told reporters. But Maryland needed to take full advantage of the gambling craze while it lasted....

KEY PROVISIONS OF GAMBLING BILL: Lastly, The Baltimore Sun had a very quick roundup of the key provisions in the newly approved casino referendum. The most important changes are the addition of a Prince George's gambling site, tax cuts for slot machine operators, and the addition of Vegas-style table games to Maryland casinos (eg: craps, blackjack, roulette, etc).

HOUSE OF DELEGATES GAMBLING ROLL CALL VOTE - The Baltimore Sun printed the roll call for the Maryland House gambling vote today. You can see the full roster at their site, but we highlight the Democratic "NO" votes below:

DEMOCRATS WHO VOTED "NO" ON HOUSE GAMBLING BILL:

1. Alston, Tiffany T. (D) Prince George's
2. Barkley, Charles E. (D) Montgomery
3. Beidle, Pamela G. (D) Anne Arundel
4. Carter, Jill P. (D) Baltimore
5. Gilchrist, James W. (D) Montgomery
6. Griffith, Melony G. (D) Prince George's
7. Hammen, Peter A. (D) Baltimore
8. Holmes, Marvin E., Jr. (D) Prince George's
9. James, Mary-Dulany (D) Harford
10. Kelly, Ariana B. (D) Montgomery
11. Lee, Susan C. (D) Montgomery
12. Miller, Aruna (D) Montgomery
13. Mizeur, Heather R. (D) Montgomery
14. Morhaim, Dan K. (D) Baltimore Co.
15. Murphy, Peter F. (D) Charles
16. Niemann, Doyle L. (D) Pr. George's
17. Pena-Melnyk, Joseline A. (D) Prince George's
18. Robinson, A. Shane (D) Montgomery
19. Simmons, Luiz R. S. (D) Montgomery
20. Sophocleus, Theodore J. (D) Anne Arundel
21. Vaughn, Michael L. (D) Prince George's
22. Wood, John F., Jr. (D) St. Mary's

DIRECT MAIL & MEDIA WAR BREWING? - Given how much money was spent by groups on the public relations battle surrounding gambling, we could see a decent amount of paid propaganda in Maryland. In the closing days of the special session fight, a reader sent us the following direct mail piece that a group called CSOA sent to Maryland voters. They added the following comments about the origin of the mailer:

ANONYMOUS READER: A little late, so I don't know if you're still interested in it but here's the gambling mailer I got Monday.  The most interesting/weirdest thing about it (to me) is that it's from a group called CSOA but it doesn't say what that stands for. If you google CSOA Maryland, a race horse owner's group comes up... I guess they're mad that gambling is coming to National Harbor but not Rosecroft. Also, it seems to be targeted towards PG residents and I live in Howard county?

CSOA Maryland Gambling Direct Mail

PS - PIT BULL LEGISLATION DIED IN SPECIAL SESSION - One other piece of legislation was dealt with in the special session. Pit bull owners were rallying to stop a Maryland Court of Appeals decision that pit bulls are inherently dangerous. The Patch's Bryan Sears noted (excerpt below):

TOWSON PATCH: ... a bill meant to overturn a controversial Court of Appeals ruling that declared pit bulls an inherently dangerous dog breed failed after Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller said the House gave senators a "take it or leave it" ultimatum.

MORE ON THE MARYLAND GAMBLING REFERENDUM SOON!

ROLL CALL: Maryland House Ways & Means Committee Approves Casino Expansion // See How 2014 Candidates Voted

After the Maryland Senate approved a gambling expansion plan last week (see roll call at the bottom of this page), debate proceeded in the House of Delegates. According to an AP report on WBAL, yesterday the House Ways & Means committee approved an amended version of the bill to bring table games to Maryland and a new casino to Prince George's County. The House bill passed 13-7 and included expanded slot machine tax cuts for Anne Arundel and Baltimore casino owners upset at the potential new competition in Maryland.

Check out the AP's special session coverage at WBAL. They provided a House Ways & Means roll call, which we provide below, but we've made a note next to the names of some Delegates who are considering runs for statewide office in 2014.

MARYLAND HOUSE WAYS & MEANS GAMBLING VOTE ROLL CALL

Voting Yes
Sandy Rosenberg (D)
Kumar Barve (D) - POTENTIAL 2014 COMPTROLLER CANDIDATE
Talmadge Branch (D)
William Frick (D) - POTENTIAL 2014 ATTORNEY GENERAL CANDIDATE
 Carolyn Howard (D)
Jolene Ivey (D)
Anne Kaiser (D)
Eric Luedtke (D)
Justin Ross (D)
Melvin Stukes (D)
Michael Summers (D)
Frank Turner (D)
Jay Walker (D)

Voting No
Kathy Afzali (R)
Joe Boteler (R)
Mark Fisher (R)
Ron George (R)
Glen Glass (R)
Aruna Miller (D)
Andrew Serafini (R)

Not Voting
Jon Cardin (D) - POTENTIAL 2014 ATTORNEY GENERAL CANDIDATE
LeRoy Myers (R)
Sheila Hixson-Chairman (D)


The Maryland Senate has updated its website to include the full roll call vote on the gambling expansion bill:

FULL MARYLAND SENATE GAMBLING ROLL CALL VOTE

28 Yeas     14 Nays     2 Not Voting     0 Excused (Absent)     3 Absent

Voting Yea - 28

Mr. President

Getty

McFadden

Benson

Jennings

Middleton

Brinkley

Jones-Rodwell

Peters

Colburn

Kasemeyer

Pugh

Conway J

King

Robey

Currie

Klausmeier

Rosapepe

Edwards

Madaleno

Stone

Ferguson

Manno

Young

Forehand

Mathias

Zirkin

Garagiola

Voting Nay - 14

Brochin

Jacobs

Pipkin

DeGrange

Kittleman

Raskin

Dyson

Montgomery

Reilly

Frosh

Muse

Simonaire

Glassman

Pinsky

Not Voting - 2

Astle

Ramirez

Excused from Voting - 0

Excused (Absent) - 3

Gladden

Kelley

Shank