Maryland Casinos, Episode V: Petitioners Strike Back

Casino News - February 7th, 2010 - Written By Glen

Maryland residents have been battling over the possibility of a slot casino at the Arundel Mills Mall, and the opponents to the gambling center have struck back. Recently, a petition has been submitted against the casino, with almost 24,000 signed signatures.

Nearly 3,000 pages of signatures had been submitted last Thursday, according to David Garreis, the deputy director of the county Board of Elections.

The submission deadline of the petitions has passed, and now election officials must begin the verification process. The signatures must be verified to ensure legitimacy. Twenty days are allotted for the approval process. In this process, all signatures must be recognized as Anne Arundel County residents and they must be registered voters.

The progress made will be displayed on the board's website, updated daily.

In December, the slot casino had been approved by the zoning commission. These petitioners are aiming to add a spot on the November ballot that would over turn the plan to build the "Maryland Live!" casino, which will hold almost 5,000 slot games.

Should enough of the signatures be verified, the issue will be added to the November ballot, giving voters a chance to overturn the legal casino. Should this happen, gamblers will have to turn to Maryland Online Casinos in order to enjoy slot gaming.

The Maryland Gazette contributed to this article.