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Two interesting comments made by readers on that site. I agree with the first guy on that page, if funding for sports stadiums is permitted then I don't see why horse racing should get the bone.
Another guy commented that Delaware Park would be done if Maryland got slots. Looking at the purses at Delaware, I couldn't see them going under. They may of course be affected, purses may dip, but they were at a very very low level before the slots if I am not mistaken. Of course field sizes would suffer even more than they already do at Delaware if Maryland horses stayed in Maryland. But I couldn't stand not getting to see Rich Glazer's antics and I enjoy the racing there except when they have the dredded 2 or 4 horse fields after scratches.
Perhaps if both states were forced to effectively split the slots bounty then it would be good for the sport. They would make enough from the slots to stay in the black but they wouldn't be making as much as they would if they were allowed to monopolize the market. Perhaps this would encourage them to work harder to improve the horse racing side of things so they could stand to make up the money lost from not having a regional monopoly on slot revenue. I don't know how much sense this makes,perhaps none at all.
Sometimes I wonder how much these politicians are lobbied by slot legal states. I have heard some rumors relative to some of the casino owners in Indiana preventing Ohio tracks from getting the slots because it would take away from their business. It really makes no sense on why a cash strapped Ohio would not want them, but maybe someone somewhere is getting paid under the table to prevent it. I have heard some specifics but it is not really in my nature to throw names out there when I have only heard rumors.
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