Gambling industry giant Caesars Entertainment donated $100,000 to the Democratic Governors Association, a national group led by Maryland’s own Martin O’Malley. It just so happens Caesars is also looking to grab a license to run a casino in Baltimore City.
What I like about corruption is you often don’t need to be a genius to spot it. A certain company wants to open a casino in Maryland. That company needs the go-ahead from an “independent” board, the members of which are partially appointed by the governor. So the company makes a large donation to a group that governor presides over. I haven’t lost anyone, have I?
On second thought, maybe I’m reading too much into this. I mean, Caesars CEO Gary Loveman says the six-figure donation is unrelated to the company’s designs on Baltimore, and a spokesman for the governor says O’Malley doesn’t let DGA concerns affect gubernatorial decisions. And why not take them at their word?
With a recent investigation on state integrity finding Maryland particularly at risk for corruption, I guess we’re lucky to have a governor who is preternaturally immune to it.