Penn National Gaming really wants to shoot down the proposed “Question 7” on November’s Maryland ballot that calls for a gambling expansion in the state. To show that they’re really serious about the position they’ve long taken, the casino operator has upped their campaign funds to over $18 million in an effort to drum up enough support to stop the proposed expanded gambling bill.
With the $18 million in gambling campaign funds, Penn National has lived up to its strong opposition to the bill, accounting for over half of the total outlays by all companies with expansion plans that have now added up to $32 million.
As it stands, the company owns Rosecroft Raceway, a facility in Prince George’s County where they’ve proposed to put up a resort and casino. But the problem with their proposal is that it hasn’t received the kind of support they’ve been looking for, particularly from Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D) who has been one of many that have thrown their support behind National Harbor as a more ideal casino site.
National Harbor, incidentally, is the site where other casino operators have shown interest in building their own casinos, including MGM Resorts International, who has already laid out its plans to build an $800 million casino resort at the 350-acre National Harbor site. Back in June, MGM Chairman Jim Murren even released a statement, saying: “MGM Resorts is committed to Maryland and our interest in National Harbor is unabated. MGM Resorts remains keenly interested in building a world-class destination resort at National Harbor; a project that will bring significant investment, tax revenue, and much-needed jobs to the state.”
MGM has even doled out $11.4 million in its gambling campaign funds in the hopes of getting the bill to pass when voting commences this coming November.
All that being said, Penn National Gaming isn’t folding without putting up a fight. $18 million in gambling campaign funds doesn’t say that one bit.
