ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) – The Maryland Senate has voted to take voters out of the process of deciding whether to allow gambling expansion in the state.

The Senate voted 46-1 Tuesday for the constitutional amendment. If the House approves, Maryland voters would still have the final say in November about whether to take themselves out of the process.

Under the proposed change, lawmakers would decide whether to expand gambling. It takes a three-fifths vote by lawmakers in both chambers to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot.

The law requiring lawmakers as well as voters to approve of gambling expansion was part of the constitutional amendment passed in 2008.

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