The St. Mary’s County Commissioners voted 5-0 Tuesday to adopt regulations and designate the County Attorney to administer gaming device permits countywide, formally implementing a new state law that requires local nonprofit and fraternal organizations to hold a permit before operating gaming devices used for fundraising.
The resolution responds to Senate Bill 357, sponsored by Sen. Jack Bailey and cross-filed with House Bill 610 from Del. Matt Morgan, which passed the General Assembly unanimously — 43-0 in the Senate and 132-0 in the House — before being signed into law by the governor on May 12 as Chapter 554. The law took effect July 1, 2026.
Under existing Maryland law, “qualified organizations” in St. Mary’s County — including volunteer fire companies and bona fide religious, fraternal, civic, veterans’ and charitable organizations — have long been allowed to operate gaming devices such as paddle wheels, wheels of fortune, chance books, Nevada cards and stamp machines to raise money, provided no individual personally profits from the proceeds and organization members directly manage the devices. Groups using devices daily are capped at five devices, and organizations must keep accurate financial records available for inspection by the State’s Attorney, State Police, the sheriff’s office or the county’s designated administrator. What the new law adds is a requirement that organizations actually hold a permit to operate those devices in the first place — a formal layer of oversight that wasn’t previously required under county practice.
Commissioner Mike Alderson, who sponsored the local resolution effort, said the change addresses gaps in accountability while preserving a funding stream nonprofits have relied on for years. “For years these nonprofits operated these gaming devices and were able to provide much needed funds to other nonprofits throughout the county, but the state wanted another layer of accountability that is now in place,” Alderson said, calling the unanimous vote a step he was glad to help deliver.
Commissioner Eric Colvin, in a separate update, described the measure as a “late addition” to Tuesday’s agenda but “very timely and important,” noting it gives the county’s nonprofit organizations a clear, state-compliant framework to continue using gaming machines for fundraising going forward.
The permit requirement is the latest instance of the General Assembly weighing in on gaming rules specific to St. Mary’s County; state lawmakers similarly crafted county-specific gaming legislation in 2023 allowing senior activity centers to conduct small-stakes card games, reflecting what one St. Mary’s delegate at the time called the state’s need to be “attentive yet patient” in addressing gaming rules county by county as Maryland’s broader gambling landscape has expanded.
County officials said the new permitting process was designed with input from the county to keep the compliance burden manageable for local groups while satisfying the state’s accountability requirements. The County Attorney’s office will now serve as the designee responsible for issuing permits and, in consultation with the Commissioners, adopting regulations to administer and enforce them.
Tuesday’s action was part of a broader slate of county business that also included the county’s move to join a proposed opioid settlement with Indivior and a public hearing on the Walter Francis Duke Airport Terminal and Pergola usage policy.
