By T. D. Thornton
The Maryland Racing Commission voted 7-0 on Monday to approve a year-round simulcasting room within the grandstand of the state fairgrounds at Timonium, where Thoroughbreds race every August for a 10-day meet.
The plan, which is a partnership between the Maryland Jockey Club and the fairgrounds operators, had been expected to be greenlighted as recently as six weeks ago. But in mid-January, a group of several hundred residents and community leaders began lashing out at the proposed facility, citing fears of expanded gambling, improper permitting, the lack of adequate hearings, and traffic woes as reasons against allowing an OTB.
After numerous community meetings and “emergency” legislation filed by a local politician to stop the OTB, the commission held a formal hearing at the fairgrounds Feb. 11 before taking Monday's vote via telephone conference call, in which two commissioners abstained from voting.
The OTB is part of a larger MJC expansion into a network of a half-dozen or so simulcasting sites at which revenues are split in even thirds among the property owners, the MJC, and the state's Thoroughbred and harness horsemen.
“We are looking forward to opening our off-track betting facility in Timonium,” MJC vice president and general manager Sal Sinatra said in a prepared statement. “We also look forward to continue building a strong relationship and partnership with the local community. We believe there's tremendous potential in Maryland Thoroughbred racing and we want to build on its rich tradition.”
Delegate Chris West, who sponsored the anti-OTB legislation, told the Baltimore Sun that “this makes me more determined to try to move my bill forward. The state racing commission clearly has its own agenda, and it's clearly focused on advancing the interest of the state racing industry. No component relates to the surrounding neighborhoods.”
An opening date for the OTB has yet to be announced.
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