Money woes forces cut back at Maryland tracks
November 4, 2010LAUREL, Md. (AP) - Facing the prospect of operating indefinitely without slot machines, the Maryland Jockey Club intends to eliminate live racing at Laurel Park and run a 40-day spring meet at Pimilco wrapped around the Preakness.
The announcement Wednesday came less than 24 hours after Anne Arundel County voters approved a proposal to build a slots parlor near a mall in Arundel Mills.
President Tom Chuckas says the MJC plans to submit a plan to state racing regulators that would turn Laurel Park into an off-track betting site, close a training center in Bowie and run the 40-day meet.
Chuckas says his proposal is not a threat, ``it's a reality.''
Chuckas says Maryland throughbred racing will suffer because 40 days of live racing at Pimlico cannot support the statewide industry year-round.