The task of developing a curriculum to educate high school students in Maryland about the risks associated with gambling has been delegated to the State Department of Education in the state. The Republican senator representing Anne Arundel County, Bryan Simonaire, is the primary sponsor of this program, which will eventually be implemented in the area’s educational institutions. According to Simonaire, local school districts would have the option of either using an already established gambling curriculum or developing an entirely new curriculum from scratch. The municipalities would have access to this available choice. In an interview with Capital News Service, he explained that “from a governmental policy aspect, the state obtains money from gaming revenues that may be used to help other goals in our state.” On the other hand, the legalization of gambling in the state “negatively encourages a great number of citizens to become gambling addicts, which raises additional challenges for the state.”
Simonaire cited several studies in his defense of the need for mandatory education on the risks of gambling
Individuals between the ages of 18 and 34 have the highest risk of developing a gambling addiction, according to the findings of several research. According to studies undertaken by the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation in Australia, persons from lower socioeconomic categories are more likely to acquire a gaming addiction, and this proclivity increases the earlier in adolescence that they begin gambling.
The Maryland Department of Health can raise funds for gambling addiction treatment through the Problem Gambling FundAnnual donations of $425 per slot machine and $500 for each table game are made to this fund in compliance with the laws of Maryland. Simonaire has stated that he is in favor of these funds; however, he believes that a greater emphasis ought to be placed on educating young people so that they do not become addicted to drugs. A law very similar to this one was proposed by Simonaire the year before, and while it was approved by the Senate with an overwhelming majority of votes, it was never put to a vote in the House of Delegates because the parliamentary session was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Simonaire, the law that will be in effect this year is indistinguishable from the revised version that was passed into law the previous year.
In a conversation with Capital News Service, he shared his thoughts as follows: “I have worked extremely hard to achieve consensus among the stakeholders.” It would appear at this point that the statute will not be subjected to any legal challenges during the current year.
During the most recent session of the legislature, Senator Simonaire’s measure received a vote of opposition from both Senator Paul Pinsky of Prince George’s and Senator Cheryl Kagan of Montgomery.
According to the Capital News Service, Kagan has made it clear that she will maintain her stance of opposition to the measure throughout this year.
She stated that “it is a widely held belief that the state should not impose curriculum requirements on our 24 local school systems.” This belief is widely held across the country. The Capital News Service was the recipient of this statement from her. “Our Local Boards of Education were chosen to serve their communities and are best prepared to design the curriculum for children in their county,” our system states that “Our Local Boards of Education were chosen to serve their communities.” Our local boards of education were selected on the basis that they provide the best service to their respective communities and are the most well-prepared. A statement from Pinsky, who is in charge of the committee that is responsible for education, health, and the environment, regarding whether or not he will continue to oppose the bill was requested, but he did not respond to the request.
During a hearing on Wednesday, Simonaire gave his assurance to the committee that the Maryland Association of Boards of Education will no longer oppose his bill as it did the previous year.
Despite this, there is still reluctance on the part of some regional educational systems to adopt a curriculum that is desperately required all over the country.
Both the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners and the Anne Arundel County Public School system voiced their opposition to the measure the year before.
The spokesman for each organization told the Capital News Service that throughout the year, they will maintain their stance of opposition to the proposal.
Capital News Service was provided with written comments from the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners expressing opposition to the measure being considered this year. According to the available evidence, the education system does not want a new mandatory curriculum because it would cause attention to be diverted away from other health issues such as opioids, abuse, consent, and good food. The testimony was presented in opposition to the bill that was proposed in this year’s legislative session.
The long and illustrious history of gambling in the state of Maryland can be traced back to the region’s centuries-old tradition of horse racing. This tradition dates back to the early 1600s.
According to Maryland Matters, the state of Maryland legalized horse racing in 1870, and restrictions were enacted in 1912, which was the beginning of the following decade.
In recent decades, the regulation of modern forms of gambling has been developed. In 1972, the state lottery was permitted to operate, and in 2008, casinos were permitted to operate.
In November, voters in Maryland approved Question 2 on the ballot, which would legalize sports betting with the understanding that any revenue earned by the state would be used to finance educational programs. Voters also agreed that the state would use any revenue earned to pay for educational programs.
During a conversation with the Capital News Service, Simonaire expressed his hope that the Senate would hold a vote on his bill before January came to a close.
According to the legislation, even if the local curriculum is permitted to be used in schools, it will not be implemented in classrooms until the 2022-2023 school year.