Laurel residents involved in slots debate

Next week voters in Anne Arundel County will decide whether to put a casino outside Arundel Mills Mall.

Some opponents of the plan think that if it is defeated -- a casino at Laurel Park Racetrack might be an option.

So people who live near the racetrack have been watching the Arundel Mills debate very closely, and they’ve been having a similar debate -- some are worried about increased traffic and crime in the Laurel area if a casino were built there.

Others worry about the loss of Laurel Park Racetrack altogether if it's not.

The sprawling Russett community sits just off Route 198, not far from Laurel Park Racetrack. Many people who live here make the same argument made by people who live near Arundel Mills Mall. ‘We don't want a casino near our community, and we're hoping that this referendum will help keep it our of our community and keep our families safe,’ said Joe Franco, who leads the group, ‘No Casino at Russett.’

If Anne Arundel County voters approve the so-called 'Question A' next week, there will not be a casino at Laurel Park. Instead, The Cordish Company would move ahead with plans to build the state's largest casino outside Arundel Mills.

Opponents of Question A in Laurel say that would pull business away from Laurel Park -- and eventually shut it down. ‘Who would logically think of putting a slots casino at or near a mall? It's ridiculous,’ said Ray Szyperski, chairman of the Laurel Park Impact Committee.

He says Laurel Park is a place where people bet already -- and a good neighbor that donates money for things like new fire trucks and a library. But even if 'Question A' is defeated, developer David Cordish still holds the county's slots license.

Plus -- the company that owns the state's first casino in Perryville also owns a majority stake in Laurel Park. ‘There's a lot of things it would have to go through, and I understand that. But the thing is this is the better place for it,’ Szyperski said.

Joe Franco says there's another problem with a potential Laurel Park casino. The statewide referendum that passed in 2008 directed that a casino must be placed in ‘Anne Arundel County, within 2 miles of MD route 295.’

But South of Route 175, that road is called the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, and Route 175 is well over two miles away from Laurel Park.

‘If you get pulled over by a police officer south of 175 it's not a local Anne Arundel County police officer it's a National Park Service police officer and it's a federal ticket,’ Franco said.

The Anne Arundel County attorney said he would need to study that issue.