State Roundup, August 17, 2012

PENSIONS: Governing magazine follows up on a report by two Maryland think tanks that said the state pension system should switch to index funds and save high investment management fees. The initial story on the report is behind a paywall at the Baltimore Business Journal. Here is a direct link to the study.

GAMING BUCKS TO POLS: When the legislature went to work on Gov. Martin O’Malley’s gambling bill, one of the first provisions to be rolled back was a sweeping ban on political contributions from casino interests, report Michael Dresser and Annie Linskey of the Sun.

GAMING BUCKS TO ADS: The passage of gaming legislation this week is expected to open new floodgates for political spending in Maryland and prompt deep-pocketed special interests to pour millions of dollars into advertisements targeting voters, writes Tim Prudente for the Capital-Gazette.

ROSECROFT ON OFFENSE: Ben Giles of the Washington Examiner reports that state lawmakers are predicting that the owner of Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington is expected to be the biggest opponent of a Maryland ballot question that would allow a casino in Prince George’s County.

CITY CASINO: Caesars hopes to break ground on its casino in Baltimore City next year, reports John Rydell for WBFF-TV.

EKING OUT THE VOTES: After what had already been a torturous day of arm twisting and vote-counting, top lieutenants in the Maryland House of Delegates thought they had nailed down just enough support Tuesday to pass Gov. O’Malley’s expanded gambling plan. Then, about 8 p.m., writes John Wagner for the Post, came word that two delegates — both of whom pledged to vote for the bill — were gone.

GAMING OPINION: Gazette columnist Blair Lee examines what’s in the referendum bill for expanded gambling. And Barry Rascovar writes in his Gazette column that as much as Gov. Martin O’Malley wants to put the gambling issue behind him, it will be with him for the rest of his term.

WHAT MADE THEM DO IT? Did political donations from the gambling industry make

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