Maryland is not raking in as much slots cash as predicted during the issue’s debate in 2007, when five gambling facilities were expected to have opened by now.

The Maryland Lottery announced that the state’s two slots parlors, Hollywood Casino in Perryville and the Casino at Ocean Downs, brought in $103 million in fiscal 2011, which ended last week.

In its latest projection, in 2007, the Department of Legislative Services said slots revenues could reach $156.5 million in fiscal 2011, $1.01 billion in fiscal 2012 and $1.3 billion in fiscal 2013. But those projections were based on having five locations with a total of 15,000 slot machines in operation. Ocean Downs has 750 slot machines and Hollywood Casino has 1,500.

State lottery Director Stephen Martino said the two casinos have performed as projected and that the state would have preferred to have had all five running by now, but there were inevitable delays. A third slots operation is expected to open at Arundel Mills mall in Anne Arundel County in June and proposals are being drafted for facilities in Baltimore city and Rocky Gap, he said.

“But it is fair to say that most everyone would have hoped they would have been proceding more quickly,” Martino said.

The Perryville parlor, which opened Sept. 27, has had revenues of $82.6 million. The Ocean Downs operation, which opened Jan. 4, has had revenues of $20.4 million.

“We’re very satisfied with the way things are going,” said Marc DeLeo, spokesman for the Hollywood Casino in Perryville.

June is a tough month for casinos as people begin vacations and travel to attend graduation ceremonies, but the numbers have been strong, he said.

“Overall we’re very happy with the first six months,” DeLeo said.

A spokesman for Ocean Downs said the harness track refers questions on slots revenues to the state lottery did not return calls for comment.

The 2007 report also said actual revenues could vary depending on economic conditions and expanded gambling in nearby states. Since then, these states have expanded the number of slot machines and added table gambling.

Maryland voters approved slots in a 2008 referendum on a constitutional amendment.

At the time, opponents warned that the video slots would not bring in as much revenue as predicted and would create problems for the state such as gambling addiction.

For fiscal 2011, slots revenue brought $49.9 million to the Education Trust Fund, $7.2 million for the horse racing purse account, $5.6 million for local impact grants, $1.5 million for the small and minority- and women-owned business fund, and $34 million to the casinos themselves.

Revenues dropped from May to June, however. The two casinos brought in $12.6 million in June, compared with $13.3 million in May.

The Perryville parlor continued to see revenues drop off, with $8.8 million in June, versus $9.6 million in May and $10.0 million in April.

Ocean Downs casino, however, continued to see revenues rise, with $3.7 million in June, up from $3.6 million in May and $3.5 million in April.

Martino said it is too early to be worried about numbers falling off from month to month and seasonal fluctuations are to be expected.

cford@gazette.net