A November 2012 ballot initiative in Maryland regarding casinos turned out to be one of the costliest in history, due to the influence of MGM Gaming on the pro-casino side, and Penn National Gaming on the other side who wanted to eliminate the potential competition. Both sides spent millions and millions of dollars flooding the airwaves and paying groups to do door-to-door campaigning, and voters in Maryland truly got to see what happens when big casino money gets involved in politics, muddying the will of the people and letting corruption creep into elections.

Politically connected firms hit jackpot in Maryland casino fight