Firm Might Pursue Slots at Laurel Park

With Anne Arundel County officials debating whether to approve a large slots parlor next to a popular outlet mall, a Pennsylvania-based gambling company has expressed interest in reviving plans to put slots at Laurel Park.

Executives at Penn National Gaming said yesterday that they were interested in a new bid for Laurel after residents of the neighborhood surrounding Arundel Mills mall balked at having a slots parlor nearby. On Monday, the County Council again delayed a vote on zoning approval for the site, amending the proposal to require developer Cordish Cos. to provide more parking.

"We're not interfering in any way, but if Cordish is denied, we want to see what opportunities exist elsewhere in the county," said Penn National spokesman Eric Schippers.

Penn National's intentions were first reported in yesterday's Baltimore Sun. The company owns Charles Town Races and Slots in West Virginia, which attracts Maryland gamblers. An additional location at Laurel would eliminate a nearby competitor for the West Virginia location, with Penn National serving much of the Maryland market.

The company also has submitted a bid to put slots in Cecil County. Although a new state law legalizing slots in Maryland limits companies to one location, executives said they hope to have another owner for the Laurel location and serve only as operator.

The Anne Arundel location is key to the success of slots in Maryland because it would have the most machines. Magna Entertainment Corp., which owns Laurel Park, lost out on slots at the racetrack when it failed to pay a multimillion-dollar application fee.

That opened the door for the unexpected bid at the mall from Cordish.

Cordish partner Joe Weinberg said the delays at the county council were not endangering his company's bid. In an e-mail interview, he said he was "completely confident the bill will pass."

He dismissed the potential bid from Penn National, saying its Cecil County proposal means it "has absolutely no standing in Anne Arundel County."

The council has delayed its zoning vote four times and is not scheduled to take up slots again until July 6.

A state commission that will award licenses for slots parlors is expected to start granting them in the fall. It has wide-ranging discretion to reject bids for licenses that it decides are not in the state's best interest, even if there is only one bidder in play. It is possible that Cordish could obtain proper zoning from the county and still have its application rejected by the state for other reasons.

Staff writer John Wagner contributed to this report.