Defeat of Slot Machines Leads to Meeting

There was a special meeting on Friday in Columbus for the seven commercial track operators who would have benefited from slot machines. The groups were getting together to discuss what their next steps are now that Issue 3, the measure to legalize slot machines in Ohio, has been defeated at the polls. The tracks were planning on the slot machines boosting revenue for their businesses, and they are not sure what they are going to do without the help now.

Charles Ruma, the owner of Beulah Park, has said that he would ask the legislature to consider legalizing Instant Racing machines, which look a lot like slot machines, but are played based on videos of past horse races. “If it helps the racing industry, it’s good,” Brock Milstein, owner of Northfield Park, said. “We have to ask the attorney general if (since play is based on actual races) the [slot type] machines would be regulated by the racing commission, or whether new legislation would have to be passed.”

They talked of how to proceed with reintroducing slot machine legislation again, now that they have a new legislature coming in. “I’m going to counsel that we wait a bit,” Milstein said. “There’s a new legislature being seated after the elections, and we have to let them get their feet under them (before they might be approached regarding slot machine legislation).”

Magna Entertainment has already said that they are going to have to trim their meet dates from 156 to 100 – for without the slot machine revenue they cannot afford the purses. They said that they can either shorten the season or they can sell their property, the Thistledown.

Back to Monthly Archive // Main Slot Machine News Index