Pro-slots group: 58% of voters for slots, 38% against

Proponents of November's controversial slots referendum hold a 20 percent advantage over their opponents, according to the pro-slots organization For Maryland For Our Future.

Voters will decide in November if the state constitution should be amended to allow up to 15,000 slot machines at five different locations across the state. A poll paid for by For Maryland For Our Future, and conducted by the Garin Hart Yang Research Group, shows 58 percent of Maryland voters in favor of passing Question 2, 38 percent against it and 4 percent undecided about the ballot initiative.

Question 2 has become one of the most heated issues in the state. Proponents argue the slots will provide necessary funding for the state's education infrastructure and will help close the budget deficit. Opponents believe the revenue projections are overly optimistic, the ballot's language is misleading and that the problems associated with gambling far outweigh the benefits.

The poll, conducted Oct. 6 to 8, surveyed 601 voters throughout the state with a margin of error plus or minus 4.1 percent.