As lawmakers in Annapolis continue to grapple with a growing $3.3 billion state budget deficit — with protests over potential tax increases or spending cuts becoming a regular occurrence outside the Maryland State House — the temptation to embrace less politically painful strategies is understandably great. Given that reality, it’s heartening to (at least so far) see Maryland legislators not going any further down the fraught path of iGaming, an expansion of online gambling that can essentially put a slot machine in the pocket of any cellphone user.

Let’s hope it continues. The temptation is surely there. While only a handful of states have legalized iGaming, nearly half of them border Maryland — Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia. And it’s a guaranteed moneymaker. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reported a 25% increase in iGaming revenue last year even as in-person casino revenue declined. Of course, that’s not exactly a coincidence. In the Keystone State and six other states where this online gambling has been legalized, casino jobs have been lost as the bets have shifted. It’s simply more convenient to wager from home then from driving to the nearest Hollywood, Harrah’s, Mohegan, Rivers, Live! with its table games, bars and restaurants.

But here’s the real problem and it’s not about those unhappy vendors. No, what’s especially worrisome about iGaming is how it puts problem gamblers at far greater risk. Again, imagine having that slot machine in your pocket. That’s like requiring an alcoholic to carry around a bottomless bottle of liquor 24/7. And those who are confident that underage users would be kept offline clearly have little experience with tech-savvy teens.

As Morgan State University’s Center for Data Analytics and Sports Gaming Research reported last year, the societal risks are alarming. In iGaming states, problem gambler help lines are ringing off the hooks (an 86% jump in contacts in states with such mobile betting between 2017 and 2023). These iGaming states also report increasing problems with mental health including depression and mood disorders. Addicts may lose their jobs, their families and their health. That seems like far too high a price to pay to increase tax revenues $200 million ore more annually (assuming Maryland voters approve iGaming given it would be subject to voter referendum).

Last year, the House of Delegates passed a bill legalizing iGaming, 92-43 only to see it languish in the Senate. This year, similar legislation has gone nowhere. Given all this fiscal pressure, that’s welcome news. Addiction should never be taken lightly. Caution and restraint is in order.