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Pro-Casino Campaign Goes Door-to-Door in Anne Arundel County

Posted on October 18th, 2010

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The addition of slot machines in gaming facilities in Maryland has the state divided. As is common with a lot of states, Maryland has had its fair share of issues regarding the matter. Those in favor of the cause of casinos have so far been victorious, with one casino already operating and three others on the way. However, those three facilities are currently in hot water, with two of them embroiled in legal obstacles and the last one not even securing a license yet. One of the two facilities currently in legal trouble is the proposed slot machine facility to be built in Arundel Mills. Opponents of the move oppse the location the facility is supposed to be built in. The said location is right next to a shopping mall, which opponents say will be in violation of one of the many building codes of the state. This opposition is causing too much delays that one of the four slot casinos of the state is already in operation, while this one still remains in the drawing board.

Proponents of the Arundel Mills casino are doubling their efforts to push ahead with the project. One of them, David Cordish, has even undertaken a door-to-door campaign, talking to residents about the slots facility. This may be considered as normal in any other circumstance, but this particular case makes it unique. For one, Cordish is already 70 years old. Second, he is a land developer, so he does have a day job. Third, he is a billionaire—one you’d least expect to find at your doorstep. But all these has not stopped him knocking on doors during the evenings and weekends, like some candidate up for the coming elections. Cordish thoug, is not a candidate for the elections. He is campaigning for the proposal that the casino in Anne Arundel County be pushed ahead so that his plan of having a slot parlor in the area can be realized.

The legal troubles that the last proposal has gone through have prompted the move to let the people decide whether it’s the green light or a no-go for slots in Arundel County. Both camps, Cordish’s and the pros versus those opposed to the mall plan, have been busy conducting campaigns that may be described as aggressive. So far, the bill has totaled $6 million, all to convince the resident voters, currently reaching 320,000, to be on their favor and decide what will happen to the state’s currently largest and if given the go signal, the most lucrative gaming project. One of the most vocal opponents of the project to construct the mall slots facility is a group called No Slots at the Mall. This group has made at least six television ads and has made sure these six announcements air almost nonstop in the local TV stations. In response, the proponents of the mall casino project have also run a number of TV spots. They have also erected a billboard right in Interstate 95 in Baltimore. With all campaigning going on, it is not yet clear which side has the upper hand.

The Center for the Study of Local Politics director at Anne Arundel Community College, Dan Nataf, claims that his department has been busy finishing a poll on the issue, and so far, there has been very small movement from another survey conducted earlier which divulged an even split between those in favor and against the mall casino proposal. He adds, “I’m a little bit surprised that the pro-slots position hasn’t been able to sway more people. With the economy where it is, with the appeal of job creation and providing a perceived cost-free solution, to not be leading by a mile is confusing.”

Cordish, who heads Cordish Cos. based in Baltimore, is doing the grassroots approach to make sure he influences voters slowly but surely. He has been getting a Hollywood-type reception in his house-to-house visits as a lot of people have recognized him from the TV ads. He clarifies with those who are against the casino because it is to be situated in a mall that the csots will be housed in a separate building. He brings along blueprints of the maps and plans and points out the location of the mall and the building that will have the slot machines. Although a lot of the people Cordish has talked to, particularly heads of families with small children, are still undecided on the issue, they have remarked that Cordish’s efforts have cast a new light and has given them more information on the proposed facility.