Delegates Committed to Getting a Gaming Bill Passed for Carroll County

Carroll County nonprofits have been trying for six years to get permission to expand fundraising options to include gaming or casino-style events. Carroll County’s state representatives are optimistic that this year a bill will pass in some form.

Delegate Susan Krebs said that legislators are concerned about professional gaming companies profiting from charity functions, in addition to the money management of such events.

“They want to make sure no for-profit operators are trolling around, basically become roving casinos,” Krebs said.

Krebs said the Delegates intend to submit the same bill they submitted last year which passed the Senate but failed in the House. 

Krebs added that, because many counties are asking for different options all related to gaming, state legislators may consider creating a generic bill that will apply to all counties in the state. Krebs said that a formal discussion has not taken place yet but that a blanket bill would enable all counties to conduct certain charity gaming events.

Commissioner David Roush said that if a generic bill is passed, Carroll County leaders can add restrictions as necessary.

“If a generic bill has more than we want, we could always implement restrictions in our own legislation, we’re just looking for something that allows us to act,” Roush said.

Krebs said that the delegation Carroll County Delegates and Senators are committed to getting a gaming bill passed this year for Carroll County.

“We are all committed to getting this passed,” Krebs said.  “We’ll do everything we can to get everything we want, which is very reasonable.”