Comptroller Franchot's letter on Slots
On Friday, the national gambling industry and their supporters here in Maryland reached a new low in their already negative and misleading campaign to amend our Constitution and provide a multi-billion dollar bailout to the special interests. Rather than talk about how slots will cost Maryland taxpayers, the gambling lobbyists launched a highly negative and personal attack - all part of their special interest-funded campaign of half-truths and distortions.
This slots referendum is about whether or not we trust the insiders and the special interests in Annapolis in their efforts to bring large scale casino style gambling to Maryland. Sadly, they're making promises about slot machines that they just can't keep.
If you don't trust Annapolis, vote no on slots. Send them a message that they need to clean up their act and be honest with Marylanders by voting no on Question 2 and contributing to our campaign to stop slots.
This slots referendum campaign isn't about any one person; it's about the future of Maryland. I refuse to get in the gutter with the Annapolis crowd who wants to allow foreign gambling tycoons to spend millions of dollars amending Maryland's Constitution and send your hard-earned money to out-of-state casino executives and other special interests. This important vote is about whether we're going to sit idly by and let the pro-slots forces - the same people who just approved the largest tax increase in state history - gamble with our economic future.
We need your help to cut through the lies, the attacks and the distractions and focus on the real implications of the slots referendum on Marylanders. Sunday, October 5th is just hours away and it's the last day of the financial reporting period. We need to show strong grassroots support for our campaign to keep the scourge of slot machine gambling out of Maryland. So, please, contribute $15, $25, $50 or more to our campaign today. Together, thousands of us contributing small amounts are more powerful than the foreign gambling tycoons pouring millions of dollars into the state.
HOURS REMAIN! CONTRIBUTE $5, $10, $25 OR MORE BY 11:59 PM ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5!
The pro-slots crowd in Annapolis doesn't want to talk about increases in crime that come to each and every community where slots are introduced. They don't want to talk about the rise in gambling addictions, the bankruptcies and the broken families that slots parlors create. They don't want you to know that slots will cost taxpayers money! And, they certainly don't want to talk about the fact that they want to write slot machine gambling into our state Constitution.
There are just hours left until the critical October 5th fundraising deadline and we need your help now more than ever. Together, we can keep the scourge of slot machine gambling out of Maryland and send a strong message to the foreign gambling tycoons and the insiders in Annapolis that we won't tolerate the increases in crime, the broken families and the mounting gambling addictions that will come with their slots parlors.
HOURS REMAIN! CONTRIBUTE $5, $10, $25 OR MORE BY 11:59 PM ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5!
Thanks so much for your time and support.
Sincerely,
Comptroller Peter Franchot