Maryland legislators killed Rosecroft Raceway and harness racing.
By stalling a card games bill in committee during the session’s final hours, House Speaker Michael Busch effectively sealed the Oxon Hill track’s demise along with 200 employees. It also prevents track operator Mark Vogel from possibly hiring 2,000 people to run the poker palace pending state referendum approval.
Nice move during a recession.
If an automaker offered to bring 2,000 jobs to Maryland, legislators would carry a red carpet to the state border. But lawmakers again ignored a racing industry that has dwindled from a lively 20,000 workers in the 1980s to life support at thoroughbred tracks and now certain extinction for Rosecroft.
What’s next — eliminate Maryland crabbing?
Legislators, especially the Prince George’s County House delegation, should be ashamed and dismissed by voters in the coming November election for not sending this bill to a public referendum, which certainly would have approved it given the passage of slots in 2008. Busch could have endorsed a floor vote but without the Prince George’s lawmakers’ backing was allowed to squash the bill. Instead, lawmakers spent the final hours on a toothless Bluetooth phone law for drivers.
“I don’t understand how our government would just say we don’t care if 200 people are let go,” Vogel said. “The House delegation basically said, ‘If Rosecroft fails, so be it.'”
Rosecroft once was a thriving racetrack on the border of the District, Virginia and Maryland. The dining room was the area’s largest, with more than 1,000 fans watching night races from the 1960s to the 1980s. Elizabeth Taylor was the biggest celeb to try the region’s best crab cakes, while legendary publicist Charlie Brotman always held the winning ticket for the actress each race by secretly betting them all.
Today, the track is nearly deserted. Scattered bettors watch the only horses on televisions after live racing ended last year.
The advent of sports wagering and horse racing’s limited TV exposure eventually drained the sport, especially harness racing with its smaller following. Laurel and Pimlico recently avoided bankruptcy, but Rosecroft is now amid proceedings with Vogel as the only bidder. Now he wonders whether it’s worth subsidizing the track for at least two years hoping for a 2012 referendum.
“I could throw in the towel, and 200 people would be out of work Friday,” Vogel said. “It puts me in a difficult position. If I got the card bill, it would be a no brainer. Since I got nothing, it’s a mess. It loses a lot of money a month. I don’t have that kind of throwaway money to feed it hoping I get a card facility there. Why would I assume I can get it passed two years from now? I don’t know what would move it [toward passage.]
“But to let 200 people go is very difficult. I’m bitterly disappointed. Our House delegation should be ashamed of themselves.”
Indeed, financially strapped Maryland missed tax money from bettors coming from Virginia and the District plus the economic benefits of 2,000 jobs.
While West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Delaware turned minor league racing into Mid-Atlantic super powers, Maryland racing is now pending a funeral.
It’s a shame, and the shame is entirely on the Maryland legislature.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com and Twitter @Snide_Remarks or e-mail [email protected].
