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Maryland Needs Slot Machines to Compete
with PA
Maryland has been competing with
Delaware and West Virginia racetracks
for some time now, as both states have
slot machines at their racetracks.
However, now Pennsylvania has approved
slot machines as well, and even has
their first racino up and running this
month. With all of the competition, it
is getting tougher and tougher for
Maryland to compete.
The
slot machine revenue that comes into the
tracks enables those establishments to
offer larger purses, as well as nicer
facilities and hence better horses. The
industry says that they cannot match the
incentives people have to go to their
tracks because they cannot offer them
slot machines. They have seen more than
their fair share of breeders already
moving to neighboring states because
they can’t offer them the same perks.
The Maryland tracks have been trying to
make do without the slot machine
revenue, but that means they have to cut
the number of racing days as well as the
number of races.
Those
that have supported the slot machine
measure in the past are hopeful that the
new Democrat governor will be able to
pass them through a mostly Democratic
legislature. The old governor had not
been successful in his four years of
office, and slot machines were a major
deal for him. Senate President Thomas V.
Mike Miller had worked with the governor
trying to get slot machines legalized,
but they could not get it through the
House of Delegates. House Speaker
Michael Busch thought slot machines
would be a positive thing for the
racetracks, but have a negative impact
on taxpayers.
Who
knows if slot machines will get passed
during this governors term, he may stand
a better chance, or not. When asked if
he would support slot machine
legislation this time around, Busch
said, "I think there are pressing issues
with the environment, higher education
and health care to deal with first."
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