The Maryland Racing Commission rejected business proposals from the owners of Pimlico and Laurel race tracks on Tuesday that would have ensured Marlyand’s tracks stay open for live racing into 2011.
The commission unanimously sided with Maryland’s horse owners and breeders — hundreds of whom attended the commission’s four-hour hearing and voting session — in voting down the proposals from the tracks’ joint owners, Penn National Gaming and Magna International Developments.
The decision imperils live racing in Maryland until the track owners can negotiate another plan that is agreeable to groups representing the state’s horse owners and breeders — which again must come before the commission for approval.
The commission rejected the track owners’ initial proposal in November.
