http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/todaysnews/newsview.asp?recno=53436&subsec=1
Revenue from slot machines provides approximately 50% of purse funds at Charles Town.
Looks like they\'d be closed already without it.
Just pointing out that the possibility for slots revenue to decrease exists and had not been addressed (to my knowledge).
I think the idea of trying to solve economic problems by expanding the gambling options (horseracing and politicians) is a bit short-sighted.
Sure it can work on a micro level, but there is a limited pool of gambling dollars out there. Sooner or later the various gambling options will just be competing with each other without any net benefit to the whole and negative consequences for some.
Post Edited (03-16-05 17:46)
Has Anyone been to CT lately since they\'ve added slots? I have as I drive between NC and NJ to visit family I stopped in a couple of times. They made the facility for Gaming look real nice but the track and grandstand still look kind of run down the lighting is bad so you can\'t really put it on TVG lets say to improve handle. The lower level for simulcasting is better but over crowded. Plus the population to draw from there is very limited and its a drive to get to from the interstate. The gaming is just more of the same video type gambling so I does get boring after a while, and the population in that area is not growing, plus the winter weather has been bad, no new industry there either, so I am not surprised to see this happen there. PLus until they change the shape of that bull ring, and improve the lighting the racing itself is quite boring as well.
I\'m not so sure Delaware park is doing much better these days either.
Did\'t CT lengthen their oval last year?
As a former employee, I can tell you that the last thing Delaware Park cares about is the integrity of the racing there. It was one of the reasons why I resigned in 2000.
NO CT was talking about it but never put the money into it. I also read where they were going to lenghten the chutes but they didn\'t do that either.
They don\'t even take CT\'s signal in Chicago.
Without slots CT, Mountaineer and Deleware woulda closed long ago.
Does Magna survive in Maryland if that slots initiative fails? I wonder.
Seems like Maryland gets close to the water and all of a sudden they jump away from an alligator.