Rosecroft Looks for New Game
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Friday, November 21, 2008
Shut out of an opportunity to bid on a slot machines operator's license because of strong political opposition, officials from Rosecroft Raceway asked the Maryland Racing Commission yesterday for permission to install Instant Racing machines at the struggling harness racing facility in Fort Washington.
Instant Racing allows players to bet on previously run thoroughbred races from a video archive on terminals that look like slot machines and are connected to a pari-mutuel wagering system.
Except for several previously scheduled stakes races to be run next month as non-wagering events, Rosecroft no longer can afford to conduct live racing and operates exclusively as a simulcast betting site.
Cloverleaf Enterprises, the horsemen-owned parent company of Rosecroft, invited representatives from RaceTech LLC, a company based in St. Louis, to make a presentation on Instant Racing before the commission at its monthly meeting, held at the Cracked Claw Restaurant off-track betting site in Urbana.
"We need to find a way to grow new fans, grow the racing product," said Kelley Rogers, president of Cloverleaf Enterprises.
The commission deferred any decisions on the request, asking Senior Assistant Attorney General Bruce Spizler to provide an opinion on the legality of the machines.
Currently, only Oaklawn Park and Southland Greyhound Park, tracks in Arkansas, offer Instant Racing. Magna Entertainment, which owns Laurel Park and Pimlico, earlier this year was denied by the Oregon Racing Commission the right to install the machines at its struggling Portland Meadows track.
The Maryland Racing Commission yesterday approved racing dates in the state for 2009. Laurel Park will offer 17 open stakes races worth more than $1 million during its winter meet beginning Jan. 1. The stakes were cut by $265,000.
