House leaders in Maryland discuss Prince George’s casino

The House of Delegate leaders in Maryland discussed on Monday an expanded gambling plan, but failed to reach conclusions, according to Speaker Michael E. Busch, D-Anne Arundel. Maryland’s Democratic Governor, Martin O’Malley, is debating to call a special session on the issue, despite the collapse of a group work plan in June that included allowing a casino in Prince George’s. Three delegates withheld their support, while the group’s eight other members, state senators and O’Malley appointees, all supported the plan.

“I thought it was fair to talk to the rest of the leadership team,” Busch said. “There was no conclusion to anything.” In June, House members said they did not want to support a casino in Prince George’s unless the state maintained its current tax rate on owners, while other members sought a reduction in the tax rate to compensate for the additional competition of a new casino. A special session was scheduled for next week, but due to the destruction of the Mid-Atlantic storm that left 17 dead and hundreds of thousands without power in the Washington, D.C. region, legislators will instead be called back later in the month or in early August. Spokeswoman Raquel Guillory said, “The special session is not on his mind right now. He’s focused on the aftermath of the storm and working with the utilities to get people’s power restored.”