Governor Martin O’Malley joined with Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown on September 25,
2007, to outline his plan to protect horse-related open space, agriculture and jobs in the State of Maryland.
Standing with Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation Secretary Tom Perez, horse breeders, owners,
trainers, and others at Maryland Stallion Station in Baltimore County, Governor O’Malley outlined his support
for slot machines in Maryland to preserve Maryland horse-racing and breeding industries.
“Horse racing in Maryland is some 250 years old and is an integral part of our state’s culture and tradition,
but it is also a nearly-$600 million industry that employs about 18,000 people and preserves over 600,000 acres of
open space across our State,” said Governor O’Malley. “As we continue to work with the Maryland General Assembly
to reach consensus, I will introduce a slots proposal that keeps Maryland horse-racing competitive with
surrounding states, preserves horse-related agriculture in Maryland, and invests in our shared priorities, like
public education, school construction, higher education and community colleges.”
“Horse racing and breeding in Maryland are suffering, a fact bad enough on its own - but made worse by the news
across our borders,” said Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation Secretary Tom Perez. “The industries in
West Virginia, Delaware and Pennsylvania are galloping past ours, mostly as a result of slots.”
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