That decision, plus the location of the Virginia-Maryland boundary, made it possible for Virginia gamblers to play the slot machines in Maryland without having to cross the Potomac River.Īs defined in the 1632 charter to Lord Baltimore and later interpreted by Federal courts, the Virginia-Maryland boundary is at the low-water line of the Potomac River - not in the middle of the river. After World War II, Maryland officials officially authorized slot machines in Charles County and St. In the 20 th Century, Maryland was far more relaxed about gambling than Virginia. Slot Machines (and Casino Gambling?) on the Maryland-Virginia Waterfront Slot Machines (and Casino Gambling?) on the Maryland-Virginia Waterfrontīetween 1949-1958, gamblers could walk from the Virginia shoreline in Prince William, King George, and Westmoreland counties to slot machine casinos in Maryland, crossing on piers beyond the low water mark of the Potomac River to reach Charles and St.
