Six companies today proposed to build Maryland slots parlors with a total of 10,550 gambling machines — far short of the 15,000 maximum slot machines allowed under a constitutional amendment adopted last year. When bids for slots licenses were unsealed in Annapolis, only one of the five authorized locations, Anne Arundel County, received more than one bid.

Competition for gamblers just got a bit tougher. Voters in Maryland, looking to boost their horse racing industry and provide some cash to schools, approved a measure on Tuesday to legalized slot machine gambling in five venues. Although industry observers predict it will be three-to-four years before slot machines are operating in Maryland, the gambling parlors will ultimately give patrons a reason to wager closer to home.

New York (Associated Press) - A leading casino operator could become a player in Maryland's slot machine gambling debate. Penn National Gaming said it is considering buying a site in Cecil County that could become one of the state's five authorized slots venues. The entry of Penn National, one of the country's largest gaming companies, could boost efforts to pass a November referendum that would authorize slots gambling.

Lawmakers in Annapolis are moving to tighten up campaign reporting requirements for the November referendum on legalizing slot machines, as both sides gird for what's expected to be a free-spending battle to win voters. The Senate heard two bills last week that would expand and clarify the mandates for groups and businesses to report their expenditures on either side of the slots debate.

Senate committee hearing scheduled for tomorrow, who has long opposed the expansion of gambling in Maryland, called on lawmakers today to approve legislation that would ban video gambling machines by next year. Arguing that the machines are similar to slots and should have been confiscated years ago, Peter Franchot, the leader of the opposition to the slots referendum...