Proponents of the passage of Maryland’s expanded gambling bill found an unlikely ally. No it’s not an individual per se; it’s an organization that’s as deeply rooted to the area as any organization in the state.
The Washington Redskins.
in a statement announcing their support of Question 7, the passage on the bill that would allow a new casino to be built in the state, Dennis Greene, the team’s president of business operations, called out to fans of the team to throw their support behind the ballot measure.
“As members of the Prince George’s County business community, we see it as our obligation to speak out in support of major economic-development initiatives,” Greene said.
“We believe Question 7 represents a tremendous opportunity . . . to create thousands of good-paying jobs, increase funding for public schools, and help provide dollars for other critical state and local government services.”
Meanwhile, the NFL appears to have no problem in the Redskins’ ringing endorsement of the proposed gambling expansion, albeit – as always – with a caveat.
“So long as a proposed casino would not include sports betting, there is nothing in our league guidelines that would prohibit a club from supporting this type of ballot referendum,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said.
Should the new bill pass, Maryland will open bids for a sixth casino in the state at Prince George’s County. A number of casino operators, including MGM Resorts International’s $800 million casino proposal, have already voiced strong interest in building a casino in National Harbor, the 350-acre property on the Potomac River. On the other hand, Penn National Gaming has been the strongest voice in opposition of the bill. The local casino operator has plans of putting its own casino, at the Rosecroft Raceway and has even put out $18 million in campaign funds to drum up enough support to stop the proposed expanded gambling bill.
Despite its aggressive efforts in opposition of the passage of the bill, Penn National Gaming must be steaming at the ears to know that a heavyweight local organization like the Washington Redskins is on the other side of the fence on this one.
