Maryland horse racing is looking for answers.
An industry that features harness racing, thoroughbred racing and breeding, the statewide equine business has seen its live racing drop from 220 to 185 days over the last few seasons. More than 17,000 jobs are attributed to the racing industry, and SlotSense.com, a Maryland racing advocacy Web site, places the economic impact of statewide horse racing at nearly $1 billion.
Many feel it should be more.
To help save the industry, legalizing slot gambling machines has been discussed. Estimates on what the slots could do for the horse-racing industry include raising $95 million to be added to winning purses, The Examiner previously reported.
“Stakeholders who were two to three years ago at odds have come together and created an environment that is more conducive to finding a positive resolution to the issue,” said Thomas Perez, secretary of the Maryland Department of Licensing, Labor and Regulation, which oversees the Maryland Racing Commission.
In the most recent data from the racing commission, the total year-end purse at Laurel was about $23.4 million, while the yearly winners? allotment at Pimlico was about $11.3 million.
“The governor has made it clear that survival of the horse-racing industry in Maryland is very important to the state?s economy, and he wants to work with legislation to develop a solution,” said Buddy Roogow, director of the Maryland State Lottery Agency. “In surrounding states like West Virginia, Delaware and Pennsylvania, slots at the tracks have been implemented as a part of that solution.”
The breeding industry also is an area of concern for Perez. A thoroughbred foal sells for about $41,600, while a standard-bred foal goes for more than $6,500, adding a notable amount to the economy each year.
And if the horse is the offspring of a winner, prices canreally soar.
“The purses need to be as such that when you breed a champion horse that breeders make the judgment that they are going to stay in Maryland,” Perez said. “We want to maintain breeders in Maryland, and there is a lot of pressure to grow houses instead of horses for people who have large tracts of land.”
dcarey@baltimoreexaminer.com
