MD
Maryland Senate Bill SB725

Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB725 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.
OldNewDifferences
11
22
33 EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
44 [Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
55 *sb0725*
66
77 SENATE BILL 725
88 C7 5lr3202
99
1010 By: Senator Ellis
1111 Introduced and read first time: January 27, 2025
1212 Assigned to: Budget and Taxation
1313
1414 A BILL ENTITLED
1515
1616 AN ACT concerning 1
1717
1818 Charles County – Gaming – Video Lottery Operation License and Video Lottery 2
1919 Terminals 3
2020
2121 FOR the purpose of authorizing the awarding of an additional video lottery operation 4
2222 license and a certain number of additional video lottery terminals for a video lottery 5
2323 facility at a certain location in Charles County; authorizing the Governor to 6
2424 reconstitute the Video Lottery Facility Location Commission for a certain purpose; 7
2525 submitting this Act to a referendum of the qualified voters of the State; and generally 8
2626 relating to video lottery operation licenses and video lottery terminals in Charles 9
2727 County. 10
2828
2929 BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 11
3030 Article – State Government 12
3131 Section 9–1A–02(d) 13
3232 Annotated Code of Maryland 14
3333 (2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 15
3434
3535 BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 16
3636 Article – State Government 17
3737 Section 9–1A–05(a) and 9–1A–36(f), (h)(1), (i)(1), (r)(1), and (t) 18
3838 Annotated Code of Maryland 19
3939 (2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 20
4040
4141 SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 21
4242 That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 22
4343
4444 Article – State Government 23
4545
4646 9–1A–02. 24
4747
4848 (d) Only a person with a video lottery operation license issued under this subtitle 25 2 SENATE BILL 725
4949
5050
5151 may offer a video lottery terminal and table games for public use in the State under this 1
5252 subtitle. 2
5353
5454 9–1A–05. 3
5555
5656 (a) The Video Lottery Facility Location Commission established under § 9–1A–36 4
5757 of this subtitle may not: 5
5858
5959 (1) award more than [six] SEVEN video lottery operation licenses; 6
6060
6161 (2) award more than [16,500] 18,000 video lottery terminals for operation 7
6262 at video lottery facilities in the State; 8
6363
6464 (3) subject to the requirements of § 9–1A–36(h) and (i) of this subtitle, 9
6565 award more than 4,750 terminals for operation at any video lottery facility; and 10
6666
6767 (4) for a location in Allegany County: 11
6868
6969 (i) award a video lottery operation license to an applicant that does 12
7070 not agree to purchase the Rocky Gap Lodge and Resort; and 13
7171
7272 (ii) notwithstanding § 9–1A–36(i)(2) of this subtitle, award more 14
7373 than 1,500 video lottery terminals for operation at a video lottery facility in Allegany 15
7474 County. 16
7575
7676 9–1A–36. 17
7777
7878 (f) The Video Lottery Facility Location Commission may award not more than 18
7979 [six] SEVEN video lottery operation licenses to qualified applicants, through a competitive 19
8080 process consistent with the process for competitive sealed proposals under Title 13 of the 20
8181 State Finance and Procurement Article. 21
8282
8383 (h) (1) In order to qualify for a video lottery operation license under this 22
8484 section, a proposed video lottery facility shall be located in one of the following counties: 23
8585
8686 (i) a location in Anne Arundel County, within 2 miles of MD Route 24
8787 295; 25
8888
8989 (ii) a location in Cecil County, within 2 miles of Interstate 95; 26
9090
9191 (iii) a location on State property associated with the Rocky Gap State 27
9292 Park in Allegany County; 28
9393
9494 (iv) a location in Worcester County, within 1 mile of the intersection 29
9595 of Route 50 and Route 589; 30
9696
9797 (v) a location in Baltimore City that is: 31 SENATE BILL 725 3
9898
9999
100100
101101 1. located: 1
102102
103103 A. in a nonresidential area; 2
104104
105105 B. within one–half mile of Interstate 95; 3
106106
107107 C. within one–half mile of MD Route 295; and 4
108108
109109 D. on property that is owned by Baltimore City on the date 5
110110 on which the application for a video lottery operation license is submitted; and 6
111111
112112 2. not adjacent to or within one–quarter mile of property that 7
113113 is: 8
114114
115115 A. zoned for residential use; and 9
116116
117117 B. used for a residential dwelling on the date the application 10
118118 for a video lottery operation license is submitted; [or] 11
119119
120120 (vi) a location in Prince George’s County within a 4–mile radius of 12
121121 the intersection of Bock Road and St. Barnabas Road; OR 13
122122
123123 (VII) SUBJECT TO § 16–105 OF THE ENVIRONMENT ARTICLE, A 14
124124 LOCATION IN CHARLES COUNTY ON A VESSEL ON THE POTOMAC RIVER THAT CAN 15
125125 BE ACCESSED BY THE PIER IN COLONIAL BEACH, VIRGINIA. 16
126126
127127 (i) (1) Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3) of this subsection, the 17
128128 Video Lottery Facility Location Commission may not allocate more than the following 18
129129 number of video lottery terminals for: 19
130130
131131 (i) a location in Anne Arundel County – 4,750 video lottery 20
132132 terminals; 21
133133
134134 (ii) a location in Baltimore City – 3,750 video lottery terminals; 22
135135
136136 (iii) a location in Cecil County – 2,500 video lottery terminals; 23
137137
138138 (IV) A LOCATION IN CHARLES COUNTY – 1,500 VIDEO LOTTERY 24
139139 TERMINALS; 25
140140
141141 [(iv)] (V) a location in Prince George’s County – 3,000 video lottery 26
142142 terminals; 27
143143
144144 [(v)] (VI) a location in Rocky Gap State Park (Allegany County) –28
145145 1,500 video lottery terminals; and 29 4 SENATE BILL 725
146146
147147
148148
149149 [(vi)] (VII) a location in Worcester County – 2,500 video lottery 1
150150 terminals. 2
151151
152152 (r) (1) Nothing in this subtitle may be construed to require the Video Lottery 3
153153 Facility Location Commission to award all [six] SEVEN video lottery operation licenses 4
154154 authorized under this subtitle. 5
155155
156156 (t) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, the Video 6
157157 Lottery Facility Location Commission shall terminate on January 1, 2015. 7
158158
159159 (2) The Governor may reconstitute the Video Lottery Facility Location 8
160160 Commission, which shall include the appointment of new members based on the criteria 9
161161 established under subsections (b) and (c) of this section: 10
162162
163163 (i) one year prior to the expiration of a video lottery operation 11
164164 license; [or] 12
165165
166166 (ii) following the revocation or surrender of a video lottery operation 13
167167 license; OR 14
168168
169169 (III) FOR THE PURPOSE OF A WARDING A VIDEO LOTT ERY 15
170170 OPERATION LICENSE IN CHARLES COUNTY. 16
171171
172172 SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the provisions of Section 1 of 17
173173 this Act authorize the Video Lottery Facility Location Commission to award one video 18
174174 lottery operation license in Charles County with the authorization subject to a referendum 19
175175 of the qualified voters of Maryland as provided in Section 3 of this Act. 20
176176
177177 SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That before this Act, which 21
178178 authorizes the additional forms or expansion of commercial gaming, becomes effective, it 22
179179 shall first be submitted to a referendum of the qualified voters of the State at the general 23
180180 election to be held in November 2026, in accordance with Article XIX, § 1(e) of the Maryland 24
181181 Constitution. The State Board of Elections shall do those things necessary and proper to 25
182182 provide for and hold the referendum required by this section. If a majority of the votes cast 26
183183 on the question are “For the referred law”, this Act shall become effective on the 30th day 27
184184 following the official canvass of votes for the referendum, but if a majority of the votes cast 28
185185 on the question are “Against the referred law”, this Act, with no further action required by 29
186186 the General Assembly, shall be null and void. 30
187187
188188 SECTION 4. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That, subject to Section 3 of this 31
189189 Act and for the sole purpose of providing for the referendum required by Section 3 of this 32
190190 Act, this Act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 33