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Harrah's Operating Company, which owns 38 casinos and two thoroughbred race tracks, is the new owner of Thistledown Racetrack. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court of Delaware approved Harrah's $89.5 million bid for the North Randall thoroughbred racing facility. It ended 40 rounds of bidding on Monday that began with a so-called stalking-horse bid of $22.3 million by Penn National, bidding as Cleveland Gaming Ventures LLC, and included bids from a subsidiary of Pinnacle Entertainment. Harrah's will pay $42 million in cash when it closes the deal, and another $47.5 million in contingency payments. Thistledown is one of two horse racing tracks...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- U.S. Sen. George Voinovich used biblical verse Thursday to blast gambling proponents, including Ohio Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland, who is an ordained minister. Voinovich, the former Republican governor, joined forces with the Ohio Roundtable and Methodist churches to announce a lawsuit they filed Thursday at the Ohio Supreme Court against Strickland's plan to place slots-like video lottery terminals at Ohio racetracks.

SACRAMENTO – A bipartisan measure that authorizes a large group of California Indian tribes to operate up to 2,000 slot machines each sailed out of the state Senate yesterday despite late opposition from San Diego County. The legislation would redefine terms of 61 compacts negotiated in 1999 to grant each of the tribes up to 2,000 slot machines. That includes local tribes such as Rincon, San Pasqual and Jamul, which are itching to expand or build new casinos. “It's a truth-in-advertising measure,” said Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth, a Temecula Republican whose district includes the Rincon and San Pasqual reservations. “The tribes...

ANNAPOLIS (AP) — Gov. Martin O'Malley said yesterday that if a referendum on slot-machine gambling fails in November, "it'll be back to the drawing board with a lot of unpopular choices, and I don't think any of us wants to go there." Mr. O'Malley said during an interview on WCBC-AM in Cumberland, Md., that the money Maryland would eventually get from slot machines would constitute about 25 percent of what's needed to balance the state's budget in coming years. The rest of the money to handle Maryland's projected deficit comes from about $1.4 billion in tax increases approved last November...

SACRAMENTO – California's first inspection of slot machines at Indian casinos has found widespread software lapses that could be short-changing tribes, the state and millions of gamblers, the state's gambling commission warns in a new report. State inspectors approved just 60 percent of the slots that were examined last year at seven casinos, which included some of the most successful and sophisticated in the nation. But tribal representatives and commission staff members disagreed sharply about the severity of the software shortcomings flagged in nearly 500 machines examined at the casinos, including those operated by the Pala, Pauma and Viejas tribes...

Special Session Actions Challenged on Constitutional Grounds The Minority Leadership in the House and Senate, along with a computer services business owner from Carroll County, filed suit today challenging the constitutionality of legislation passed by the Maryland General Assembly during the recently-concluded special session. The lawsuit was filed in Carroll County Circuit Court. In a motion filed on behalf of these Maryland taxpayers, attorney Irwin R. Kramer of Kramer & Connolly, requests that the court review irregularities that occurred during the special session, including the six-day adjournment by the Maryland Senate. This adjournment was in direct violation of Article III,...

The timing was exquisite, suspiciously so, coming as it did on the day before Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) warmly embraced the expansion of slot machine gambling in Maryland. It appeared, for all of Maryland to see, as if the oligarchs at Magna Entertainment, a Canadian firm, threw Joseph DeFrancis, a Maryland horseman, under an oncoming bus. Magna exercised its option, rapidly expiring by November, to buy out the remaining 49 percent interest in the Maryland Jockey Club from DeFrancis and his sister, Karin. Deliberate or not, Magna removed a major impediment to winning slots at racetracks and elsewhere in Maryland,...

ANNAPOLIS — Hundreds of anti-tax demonstrators greeted lawmakers on their return yesterday for a special General Assembly session to consider Gov. Martin O'Malley's plan to increase taxes and legalize slot machines to cut the state's $1.7 billion budget shortfall. Voters opposed to the plan by Mr. O'Malley, a Democrat, began their protest in the early morning by flooding the state Capitol with nearly 1,000 phone calls before noon, then packing Lawyer's Mall in front of the State House to call state Democratic leaders the " 'Taxes' Axis of Evil." In his opening remarks last night, Mr. O'Malley implored lawmakers to...

ANNAPOLIS — Gov. Martin O'Malley's plan to close the state's five-year, $6.9 billion budget shortfall would raise $3.6 billion more than necessary, according to an analysis of figures released by the governor's office. About $2.5 billion of the additional money would go to new spending and tax cuts, although it is unclear how the additional $1.1 billion would be used. Mr. O'Malley and his office have not discussed the net effect of their budget plan, but numbers used in The Washington Times analysis are those he has presented in public over the past two weeks. The administration responded by saying...

BALTIMORE - Gov. Martin O’Malley and Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine called on Congress Wednesday to pass legislation to control greenhouse gas emissions, arguing the health of the Chesapeake Bay is at stake. “We now know with certainty that human activities — including coastal development, the burning of fossil fuels and increasing greenhouse gas emissions — are contributing to both the causes and consequences of climate change,” O’Malley told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. But his testimony did not go over well with critics of the Intercounty Connector — an 18-mile toll road that would connect Montgomery and...

Mayor Martin O'Malley had a principled position on slots. Legalized gambling might work to buck up Maryland's ailing horse industry, but slots, he said in 2005, are "a pretty morally bankrupt way" to fund education. Now, Gov. Martin O'Malley proposes to open slots palaces across the state to generate hundreds of millions of dollars for, um, education. A change of heart? Not really, the governor tells me: "I just don't see how I can ask the legislators to compromise if I'm not willing to do so myself."

ANNAPOLIS — Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley ended his statewide tax tour yesterday with a more definitive outline of how he plans to close the state's $1.7 billion budget shortfall, including plans to cut education funding. Mr. O'Malley, a Democrat, said he would cut $207 million in mandated education spending while phasing in an optional $38 million for teachers based on where they work. "Some of these things are going to be painful," Mr. O'Malley said as he detailed the long-awaited arithmetic behind his proposed fiscal 2009 budget before about 150 people, mostly lobbyists and government staffers inside a school gymnasium....

TOWSON, Md. — Gov. Martin O'Malley made public yesterday his plans to raise taxes on Maryland's top wage earners to help cut the state's $1.5 billion budget shortfall. Mr. O'Malley, a Democrat, expects that the increase — along with legalizing slot machines and increasing taxes on sales, gasoline, cigarettes and corporate income — will generate roughly $2 billion. The public announcement in Baltimore County — which the O'Malley administration named a "kitchen table talk" — was the first of several scheduled into next week to discuss the proposed budget. "On some things there will be tax relief, and on some...

ANNAPOLIS — Gov. Martin O'Malley told legislative leaders yesterday he plans to raise almost $2 billion in new revenues through a mix of taxes, including sales taxes, and "gaming initiatives" to close the state's $1.5 billion budget shortfall. Mr. O'Malley met separately with House Speaker Michael E. Busch and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., both Democrats, to discuss the details of his plan. He is set to meet with General Assembly budget leaders this morning at the governor's mansion. Mr. Busch confirmed the meeting and said the governor's plan also includes an increase in corporate income tax. "It's...

ANNAPOLIS — Gov. Martin O'Malley yesterday criticized opponents of legalizing slot machines and Maryland schools Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick, saying he would like to replace her as soon as possible. When asked by a caller on a radio show why he supports slots after having called them "morally bankrupt" while serving as mayor of Baltimore, Mr. O'Malley said that he is ready to compromise and that state lawmakers should be too. "I hope other members of the General Assembly will loosen up and realize that compromise is not a dirty word," Mr. O'Malley, a Democrat, said on the "Marc Steiner...

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - Pennsylvania's first slot-machine parlor, Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, opened Tuesday to a shower of confetti and rain as the state embarked on its ambitious plan to have gamblers pay for cuts in property taxes. Hundreds of gamblers - mostly senior citizens - poured into the casino as the doors were opened and occupied most of its nearly 1,100 seats in less than 10 minutes. Inside, Wilkes-Barre car dealership manager Vince Esposito was one of the first to start playing, putting a $20 bill into a Double Powerball machine. "That's entertainment," he said as he pushed the...

Posted on Tue, Jan. 10, 2006 Slots applicants namedSome appear simply as "minor child," but politicians and other prominent people are listed.By Suzette ParmleyInquirer Staff Writer Two former governors, two current SEPTA board members, and several unidentified "minor children" were among the names of applicants for slots parlor licenses released yesterday by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. While the state released a list of 595 names in connection with the 25 applications, many of those names were limited partnerships, such as YO! Gaming L.L.C. and FDC/PEDP G.P. L.L.C., that would have other individuals connected with them.Some of the names,...

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- Five companies have bid for two casino licenses in Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board said. Statewide, the board received 26 applications for slots parlors in various locations, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Thursday. The last day to submit a bid was Wednesday. The board expects to issue two casino licenses for Philadelphia by the end of next year. All applicants had to pledge to pay a $50 million license fee. The decision to open casinos in Pennsylvania reflects a desire to attract much of the business the state now sends to big resorts and casinos...

It is hard to imagine anything breaking the air of quiet reverence that the pervades the sweeping grasslands, orchards and cornfields that were the stage for the US civil war's most famous battle. In the streets of Gettysburg, a sleepy Dutch colonial-style town built on the plains beneath the distant Allegheny mountains, elderly ladies thumb through postcards and sip cooling drinks. But beneath the surface Gettysburg is engaged in its fiercest battle since the smoke cleared on the morning of July 4, 1863 and the shocked and bewildered townspeople were greeted by the apocalyptic sight of more than 50,000 dead...

List of possible slots distributors includes political insiders 5/23/2005, 6:10 p.m. ETBy MARC LEVY The Associated Press   HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A lobbyist for the country's largest slot-machine manufacturer and the son of a former state Supreme Court chief justice are among the entrepreneurs interested in the potentially lucrative business of distributing slot machines in Pennsylvania.Businesses from New Jersey, Nevada, Louisiana and Indiana also hope to capitalize on a controversial provision in Pennsylvania's slot-machine gambling law that requires slots manufacturers to use an in-state middleman to move their products to casinos.Comments submitted in recent weeks about the Pennsylvania Gaming...

AUSTIN — This time, leading Republicans and Democrats agreed. They joined together at the Texas Capitol on Thursday to proclaim that they don't want an expansion of gambling. "Empty promises to get rich quick do nothing but bring devastation and addiction," said Tina Benkiser, chairwoman of the Texas Republican Party. "We're being asked to gamble away our children's future in the biggest con game of all times." Legislators looking to cut property taxes while giving more money to schools are considering more than 20 gambling proposals, including video slot machines at racetracks and Las Vegas-style casinos. Conservative Republicans and a...

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The state House narrowly voted Friday to legalize slot machines in Maryland, bringing Gov. Robert Ehrlich one step closer to fulfilling one of his biggest campaign promises. The Senate previously adopted an Ehrlich-backed measure that calls for far more machines. If the two versions can be reconciled, the bill will go to governor, a Republican who for three years in a row has submitted legislation to legalize slots. The House bill passed with 71 votes, the minimum number required. "This is not my bill," the governor said, but added: "It's not over yet. We know that. We...

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Pittsburgh Penguins have hired an adviser from the Al Gore and John Kerry U.S. presidential campaigns to help in the NHL team's pursuit of a gambling licence. David Morehouse, a 44-year-old native of Pittsburgh, will serve as the Penguins' senior consultant for special projects. The state legislature legalized slot machines last year. The Penguins plan to use proceeds from the slots parlour to build a new downtown arena. Morehouse most recently served as John Kerry's travelling chief of staff. He was a senior adviser to Al Gore from 1999-2001, working on the Gore presidential campaign. He...

CAMBRIDGE, Md., Oct. 20 -- Slot machine gambling could once again dominate the General Assembly's agenda when lawmakers return to Annapolis in January, legislative leaders predicted Wednesday, even as they reiterated their sharp divisions on expanded gambling. . . . Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) has made the legalization of slots his keystone initiative since taking office but has failed repeatedly to build consensus for a plan. Ehrlich has run into strong resistance not just from House leaders, but also from rival factions within the business community, each of which wants to carve its own cut of the proceeds...

Don't spend that $330 annual savings in property taxes you're supposed to get by 2006. That's the $330 average property tax reduction per household promised from legislation legalizing slot machines and from adding 0.1 percent to the local wage tax. It was pushed by Gov. Ed Rendell and backed by a majority of state lawmakers on July 4. The wage tax would take effect the year property tax relief is provided. If your family income is $100,000, you'll pay $100 more in the wage tax. That should be deducted from the $330 for a net savings of $230. Then wait....

A new contender in the race for a slot machine license in Northeastern Pennsylvania could be a handicap for The Downs at Pocono in Plains Township. Pocono Raceway CEO Dr. Joseph Mattioli said Wednesday that he is interested in one of three available stand-alone slots licenses for his NASCAR racing venue at Long Pond in Tunkhannock Township, Monroe County. Mattioli said he contacted state officials last year for consideration for a license - which would cost $50 million - to add a slots parlor on a site behind the grandstand on the racetrack. Mattioli said the family-owned Pocono Raceway's biggest...

Excerpts: "Democratic House leaders are drafting a bill that would legalize state-owned slot machine parlors at six sites across Maryland, many of them in predominantly Republican communities such as the State Fairgrounds in Timonium, Rocky Gap Lodge and Golf Resort near Cumberland and public land near Frederick. The bill also calls for gambling centers in Cambridge on the Eastern Shore and along Interstate 95 in Harford County. It would authorize slots at one horse-racing track -- Laurel Park in Anne Arundel County -- although House leaders were still debating whether to include a proposed track near Baltimore's Inner Harbor." ....

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) -- Jennifer Lopez's mother won a $2.4 million jackpot while playing $1 slots in Atlantic City on Saturday night. Guadalupe Lopez, 58, of New York, was playing a Wheel of Fortune-themed slot machine at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa when she hit for $2,421,291.76 just before 8 p.m. Saturday, according to the casino. Casino spokesman Michael Facenda denied knowing of any relationship between the jackpot winner and pop celebrity Jennifer Lopez. But Us Weekly and People magazine report in upcoming issues that Guadalupe Lopez is Jennifer's Lopez's mother. Jennifer Lopez's publicist, Rob Shuter, declined...

Excerpts: "Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. promised yesterday to find the money to pay for a landmark $1.3 billion education package even if the state legislature kills his plan to expand legalized gambling, though he warned that health care and other programs would suffer deep cuts instead." . . ."The time for being subtle has passed. [Having slots] is the majority view in the state of Maryland, clearly," Ehrlich told the crowd, which was assembled in part by lobbyists for the Maryland Jockey Club, which would be a major beneficiary of the governor's slots bill. "If the bill dies...

<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- Three Maryland state senators say they were interviewed by FBI agents in an inquiry into the Senate president's fund-raising efforts and the push for slot machine gambling.</p> <p>Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller has been a leader in the so-far unsuccessful effort to legalize slot machines at racetracks in Maryland, and the FBI is reportedly examining whether the money he solicited from a racetrack owner played any role in his support.</p>

Feds Close Meskawki Judge Orders Casino Closed POSTED: 7:38 a.m. CDT May 23, 2003 UPDATED: 7:43 a.m. CDT May 23, 2003 DES MOINES, Iowa -- A federal judge in Cedar Rapids has ordered federal marshals into Tama to close the Meskwaki casino. This action comes after weeks of squabbling between two fighting factions over control of the casino. Witnesses at the casino say the marshals are escorting gamblers out of the facility. Earlier this month, the National Indian Gaming Commission ordered a council appointed by the hereditary chief to turn over control of the Meskwaki government and casino to the...

Following an announcement by the U.S. Supreme Court that it would review last year's decision by the Iowa Supreme Court to declare the state's racetrack casino tax unconstitutional, Rants was ecstatic. The move was unexpected. A shot in the dark, really, by Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller to have the court consider the case regarding $112 million in tax refunds and interest that state officials have been ordered to pay to tracks in Altoona, Council Bluffs and Dubuque, plus $35 million annually in future state taxes. Iowa, flat broke, had lost millions on the state's original edict. This was a...