What are today known as video lottery terminals returned in 2007 when the Maryland General Assembly approved a charter amendment - and voters subsequently agreed - for thousands of them, but only under strict conditions including supervision by a state agency and with gaming limited to five, and later six, strategically-located casino locations with poker, blackjack and other table games thrown in. Not only have Marylanders bet on horse races legally (and sometimes not) for at least a century and a half, but slot machines were commonplace in Anne Arundel County and Southern Maryland from the 1940s until they were banned in the 1960s over concerns about crime and addiction.
Maryland’s history with gambling is long but uncertain. Baltimore Sun eNewspaper Home Page Close Menu
