SEARCH NEWS:

 

Slots Legislation Trampled in House

MARYLAND -- As reported by the Washington Post: ``Sounding angry and dismayed, members of the troubled Maryland horse racing industry could envision only the accelerated decline of the sport in the state after a Maryland House of Delegates committee yesterday killed a bill that would have legalized slot machines at state tracks.

`` The House Ways and Means committee voted 21-0 to defeat slots legislation supported by Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. and passed by the Senate but opposed by House Speaker Michael Busch.

``Fighting a losing battle for several years with racetracks in neighboring states that have purses fueled by slot machines, the Maryland racing industry had pinned its hopes on a rescue by the state legislature.

``…Said Maryland Jockey Club President Joe De Francis: 'The thing that is most disappointing is we have an industry that contributes $1 billion a year to Maryland's economy, from horse racing to breeding and all the cottage industries that support it. It employs 15,000 to 20,000 Marylanders, and it continues to suffer because we can't have the tools available to compete with our neighbors in Delaware and West Virginia.' …"

< Gaming News