Cutting Off Your Nose to Spite Your Face? 

It has long been known that the state of Maryland has some problems when it comes to their horse racing. They know that the amount of money that the tracks have taken in over the years is declining at a steady rate, which is why so many of the tracks want to see slot machines brought in to boost their revenues. They argue that if they had slot machines that they could offer bigger purses and thus bring in the bigger name horses. They say that the slot machines would be able to entice people to come play more, and would allow them to be more competitive. 

Those states that have slot machines but not at their tracks have a tendency to give much of that money to the industry in exchange for them not actually having them. This is what happened in Maryland, where voters approved slot machines in the state, and for that revenue to go to the horse racing industry. One of the locations for the casinos – Arundel Mills – is estimated that they will bring in a large portion of the money that will eventually go to the horse racing industry. 

However, the Maryland Jockey Club is trying to stop slot machines from coming in to Arundel Mills. They have collected enough signatures that they think they will be able to overturn the law that gave them the right to have the slot machines. Then, once that law is overturned, they want to go back in and see if they can’t get slot machines at Laurel Park. This is their plan, and if successful it would make Laurel Hill the much larger slot machine venue over the one that was slated for Arundel Mills. 

They are liable to be successful as there are many within the Arundel Mills area that do not want slot machines to come in. However, they are taking a big gamble that if they are able to get rid of the slot machines that they will be able to get them back again.