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The slot machine debate is creating fault lines through one of the largest Democratic strongholds in Maryland. The Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee on Wednesday voted to oppose the Nov. 4 referendum, crossing party leaders and finding an unlikely ally: the Republican Caucus of the House of Delegates.

House Republicans on Thursday announced their opposition to the referendum, saying they do not believe gambling should be enshrined in the state constitution and that it does not provide enough up-front money for slots licenses.

But the bigger surprise was a vote by the Montgomery Democrats on Wednesday night to oppose the referendum, a decision that Scott Arceneaux, a senior adviser with Marylanders United to Stop Slots called "a big win" for slots foes.

"It's a clear sign — and there's been a lot of them — that political insiders are not going to tell people what to do," he said.

The county party's precinct chairs, vice chairs and area coordinators voted 97-17 against supporting the referendum. The central committee voted 16-1, with one abstaining, to accept the precinct organization's recommendations on several ballot questions, including slots. Five members were absent.

The party's sample ballots will encourage voters to oppose the slots referendum, said Milton J. Minneman, a member of the central committee.

The ballot question will ask voters whether to approve a constitutional amendment to bring 15,000 slot machines to five locations in Allegany, Anne Arundel, Cecil and Worcester counties and Baltimore city. Legislative analysts project the machines eventually could generate nearly $919 million. Of that, a projected $660.4 million would go toward schools.

Central committee members discussed whether they should break with Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), who endorsed approval of the slots plan last week and Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) who first proposed the plan last fall as part of a package of gambling, taxes and budget cuts to fill a $1.5 billion budget gap.

The vote came after Comptroller Peter V. R. Franchot (D) and Sen. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Dist. 20) of Takoma Park spoke to the committee about why to oppose slots.

On Tuesday morning, Leggett spoke to about 30 members of the Montgomery County Democratic Forum during a breakfast meeting in Bethesda. The group comprises about 100 people who have contributed $300 or more to the county party, including some members of the central committee.

"Montgomery County Democrats believe that there are better ways to do things than slots, even though the county executive and the governor think slots is the way to go," Minneman said. "… We're not rebels. We just disagree."

Republican lawmakers said they have already drafted a slots bill for the 2009 legislative session that does not require voter approval. It resembles legislation they proposed during last year's special session that projects to raise $850 million through licensing fees, compared with $90 million up-front in the governor's plan.

"We are in favor of slots, but we are not in favor of a bad slots plan for Maryland," said House Minority Leader Anthony J. O'Donnell (R-Dist. 29C) of Lusby.

Arceneaux said the bipartisan opposition "shows the broad breadth of the coalition against the slots constitutional amendment and while there are a number of reasons to be against this, one of them is that it's a bad bill."

Meanwhile, top Democrats in Annapolis this week pitched slots as a way to keep revenue from leaving Maryland for slots parlors in bordering states.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. faced off with Anne Arundel County Councilman Joshua J. Cohen, a Democratic slots opponent, on Wednesday at the Eastport-Annapolis Neck Branch Library.

"It's not the greatest idea in the world," said Miller (D-Dist. 27) of Chesapeake Beach. "But Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia are spending our money."

O'Malley, appearing in Baltimore on Tuesday to unveil an advertising campaign encouraging residents to enroll for the state's Medicaid expansion, took a similar tack.

"Without the approval of the referendum, if we don't keep those Maryland dollars that are currently going to Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia, in Maryland, it makes all of our progress more difficult," he said. "Progress in health care, progress on affordable college, progress in maintaining the huge investment we've made in public education."

O'Malley tied slots to a state budget deficit that could grow to $1 billion by 2010.

"We're managing right now a cyclical shortfall because of this economic downturn," he said. "And the approval of the referendum is very important to our ability to be able to manage this without jettisoning or abandoning our priorities."

The state can solve its budget woes without slots, said Herbert H. McMillan, president of the Maryland Taxpayers Association, which announced on Wednesday that it is opposing the slots referendum.

"If Martin O'Malley could just cap spending — keep it the same as the last year — he wouldn't have a deficit and he wouldn't have to make cuts," said McMillan, a former Republican delegate from Anne Arundel County.

Frederick W. Puddester, chairman of the pro-slots coalition For Maryland For Our Future, said he sees the slots proposal as the best way to offset the budget gap caused by the Thornton funding package for education.

"It is a key component to solving the structural deficit," he said. "There is a significant expenditure on education in the out years."

Without slots, it's an expense that the state would have to foot with about $700 million in tax increases, said Puddester, a former state budget secretary under Democratic governors William Donald Schaefer and Parris N. Glendening.

"We've made a lot of progress in our education system," he said. "Who wants class size increased? Who wants teacher salaries stagnant? When I ask people about this in forums around the state, not many hands go up."

The revenue also would save other state agencies from cuts, he said.

On Tuesday, the Professional Fire Fighters of Maryland announced its support of the referendum.

"Passing the slots referendum and keeping revenue here in Maryland — when it's already being spent in Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia — is critical to public safety," said President LeRoy A. Wilkison.  "Budget problems flow downhill.  And if the slots referendum doesn't pass, the state will reduce county funds — cutting public safety."

McMillan took issue with slots supporters' claim that the failure of the referendum would leave a $700 million budget gap, saying that the argument assumes that the money is already budgeted.

"To Gov. O'Malley, simply spending as much as last year would be a cut," McMillan said. "… The language is Orwellian."

Staff Writers Daniel Valentine and Alan Brody, as well as Jenn Bogdan of the Capital News Service, contributed to this report.