A trio of off-track betting operators are betting on a proposal to allow them to offer slot machine gambling.
That proposal was the subject of a meeting Tuesday by members of the Senate Budget and Taxation and the House Ways and Means committees, who are considering it as an amendment to a bill that would have authorized betting on “historical” horse races. The amendment would allocate approved, but unclaimed, slots to OTB facilities.
Some lawmakers on the panel asked if the proposal would effectively create mini casinos. But owners of the facilities — Long Shots in Frederick, River Boat on the Potomac and GBoone’s in Boonsboro — said the request was about ensuring the survival of the businesses through cooperation with existing casinos, not by cannibalizing the market…