Las Vegas-based MGM Resorts gave
$75,000 to a pro-gay marriage campaign in Maryland.
The
Washington Post reported that MGM Resorts contributed toward
the successful effort to uphold a marriage equality law approved by
Maryland lawmakers.
Disclosure reports show that
Marylanders for Marriage Equality reported raising a total of $5.2
million for the campaign leading up to the November 6 election.
Maryland Marriage Alliance, which opposes the law, said it raised
less than half that amount, about $2.4 million.
MGM Resorts, which is hoping to build a
casino at National Harbor in Prince George's County, said its
“modest” contribution, offered in the final weeks of the
campaign, was a sign of its continued support for gay rights.
“MGM Resorts celebrates diversity in
all aspects of its business and is a longtime supporter of workplace
equality,” the company said in a statement released Wednesday.
Both campaigns raised about $700,000
each in the final two weeks of the campaign. The bulk of the money
raised in the final weeks by the Maryland Marriage Alliance came from
the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), which gave $400,00, and
the Knights of Columbus, which contributed $100,000.
NOM gave opponents a total of $1.2
million.
Roman Catholic dioceses also
contributed, including $25,000 from Newark, $10,000 from Wheeling and
$5,000 from Arlington.