Betting the House: Five years later, Maryland’s casinos have left addiction, crime, and half-filled promises in their wake
“By the time Jim Calabrese moved to Maryland in 2001, gambling had already taken a huge toll. The hours he spent and the money he lost playing the slots and video poker caused his wife to leave him with the couple’s three daughters in tow. She left “entirely because of the gambling,” he said. Not to mention, he also narrowly escaped criminal prosecution after stealing thousands of dollars from his then-Las Vegas employer to feed his habit.”