As Maryland legislators begin the special session on proposals to expand gambling Delaware officials are keeping a close eye on the outcome.
Governor Jack Markell says that it’s clear the industry is becoming more competitive.
Markell has expanded gambling ranging from sports betting and table games to online gaming and Keno games at sites outside of the casinos.
The license fees for the state’s casinos have also been slashed.
Meanwhile, Ed Sutor, the CEO at the Dover Downs Hotel and Casino, told the Wilmington News Journal that he is not surprised that Delaware’s gaming industry has had an impact on other states.
Around 45 percent of the Dover Downs gamblers are Marylanders.
But Sutor says that number has been falling in the wake of the opening of the new Casino in Anne Arundel County.
Delaware’s House majority leader Pete Schwartzkopf said he is not surprised that Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley is trying to protect his state’s gambling interests.
The Rehoboth Democrat has been pushing unsuccessfully for a new casino in Sussex County that would be near the beach destinations.
