by Frank Angst

A group that supports a November referendum on video lottery terminals at Maryland racetracks will meet with racing fans at the Preakness Stakes (G1) on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course.

The group’s chairman, Fred Puddester, said For Maryland, For Our Future representatives at Pimlico on Saturday will educate horse racing fans about the need for expanded gaming in Maryland. Puddester declined to specify how many volunteers the group expects to have at Pimlico, but said the group will be visible.

Under the group’s plan, 55% of expanded-gaming revenue would be committed to state and local governments, with most of that money committed to education. Still, Puddester said there would be enough money available to racetrack operators to make added gaming appealing. He estimates the tracks would receive about $450-million a year.

Puddester said 7% of slot machine revenue would be committed to horsemen and he expects added gaming would give Maryland purses a boost of $100-million per year. Nearby states with added gaming are enhancing their purses and breeding programs, which Puddester believes threatens the Maryland Thoroughbred industry.

“Delaware, West Virginia, and now Pennsylvania really put Maryland breeders and the Maryland industry at a competitive disadvantage,” Puddester said.

Puddester said supporters of the referendum will tell fans on Saturday that without the added gaming, the state will have to either increase taxes or make cuts in education.

Frank Angst is senior writer for Thoroughbred Times