The slots vote behind Maryland racinos
Maryland’s constitution, under Article XIX, requires a statewide referendum for any expansion of commercial gambling. Lawmakers passed a slots plan in a 2007 special session and sent it to voters, who approved it in November 2008. The amendment allowed video lottery terminals at five privately owned casinos, one each in Allegany, Anne Arundel, Cecil and Worcester counties and Baltimore City.
The law named places, not tracks. Only the Worcester County license went to a racetrack, Ocean Downs, whose casino opened in January 2011, second after Perryville. A second referendum in November 2012 added live table games at every site and a sixth license in Prince George’s County, and the six casinos opened between September 2010 and December 2016.
Ocean Downs, the one racino
| Venue | City | Racing | Gaming |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean Downs Casino | Berlin | Harness, May to September | 900 slots, 17 tables, sportsbook |
Ocean Downs Casino has raced harness horses on a half-mile oval since 1949, inland from Ocean City. Churchill Downs Inc. has owned it outright since 2018. The 2026 meet ran from May 18 to September 7 on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday nights, and in August 2026 the casino won about $10.3 million, almost exactly level with a year earlier.
Why the other casinos are not racinos
Each of the other five casinos was built where a county site was drawn, and none came with a track. Hollywood Casino Perryville sits off Interstate 95 in Cecil County, Live! Casino & Hotel beside Arundel Mills mall, Horseshoe Baltimore near the stadiums, Rocky Gap in a state park in Allegany County and MGM National Harbor on the Potomac.
| Casino | County | Opened | Slots / tables, August 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hollywood Casino Perryville | Cecil | September 2010 | 735 / 18 |
| Ocean Downs Casino (racino) | Worcester | January 2011 | 900 / 17 |
| Live! Casino & Hotel | Anne Arundel | June 2012 | 3,500 / 181 |
| Rocky Gap Casino Resort | Allegany | May 2013 | 630 / 12 |
| Horseshoe Casino Baltimore | Baltimore City | August 2014 | 1,381 / 104 |
| MGM National Harbor | Prince George’s | December 2016 | 2,236 / 214 |
Two tracks came close. Laurel Park sat in Anne Arundel County, but the license there went to Cordish for Arundel Mills, confirmed by county voters in 2010. Rosecroft Raceway in Prince George’s County was bought by Penn National in 2011 partly in hope of a casino, yet the 2012 license went to MGM at National Harbor in December 2013.
Who regulates casinos and racing
Maryland Lottery and Gaming licenses and audits the casinos and sports wagering, reporting revenue on the fifth of each month, while the Maryland Racing Commission oversees the tracks and race dates. The six Maryland casinos must pay out at least 85 percent on each slot machine and keep the floor average between 85 and 95 percent.
The minimum age is 21 for the casino floor and 18 for wagering on horses. Maryland racinos face the same rules as the other casinos on age, smoking and payouts, because the law draws no line between a track casino and any other. Help for anyone worried about gambling is free and confidential at 1-800-GAMBLER or mdgamblinghelp.org.
Where the casino money goes
The six casinos won $160.0 million in August 2026, 6 percent less than a year before. Of that, about $68.5 million went to the state, including $50.2 million for the Education Trust Fund, nearly $8.6 million to host communities and $8 million to the racing industry. That last share is paid by all six casinos, not just the racino.
Across fiscal 2026 the racing industry received roughly $94.7 million from casino revenue. It pays purses at Laurel, Ocean Downs and Rosecroft and has funded track renewal, which explains why Maryland racing survived without slots at its main tracks. The racino revenue page compares that with states where the purse money flows only from track casinos.
Maryland horse racing tracks in 2026
| Track | Location | Breed | Casino | 2026 status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean Downs | Berlin | Harness | Yes | Summer meet, May 18 to September 7 |
| Laurel Park | Laurel | Thoroughbred | No | Hosts all thoroughbred racing; due to close to racing after Pimlico reopens |
| Pimlico Race Course | Baltimore | Thoroughbred | No | Closed for rebuilding since September 2024 |
| Rosecroft Raceway | Fort Washington | Harness | No | Owned by the Stronach Group since 2016 |
Laurel Park, opened in 1911, carries the whole thoroughbred calendar while Pimlico is rebuilt, including the Jim McKay Maryland Million for state-breds each October. The horse racing schedule page tracks current dates at these horse racing tracks and at the Delaware and West Virginia tracks, which together fill most of the Mid-Atlantic year.
The racing reorganization since 2024
The overhaul began with the Racing and Community Development Act of 2020, which let the Maryland Stadium Authority issue $375 million in bonds for both Stronach tracks. In March 2024 the Stronach Group agreed instead to hand Pimlico to the state, and a law passed that April authorized $400 million in bonds and consolidated thoroughbred racing at Pimlico.
The state’s operating authority took ownership of Pimlico on July 1, 2024, and the track closed on September 1, with racing moved to Laurel. A new non-profit Maryland Jockey Club took over racing operations on January 1, 2025. The operating authority was dissolved on June 30, 2025, and its duties passed to the Maryland Stadium Authority.
Pimlico reopened briefly for the 150th Preakness in May 2025, and demolition started in July. The 151st Preakness ran at Laurel on May 16, 2026, with the crowd capped at 4,800 and the infield closed; Napoleon Solo won from a full field of 14. The state aims to return the race to a new Pimlico in 2027.
Laurel’s future is settled in outline. In January 2026 the state agreed to buy the track from the Stronach Group for $50 million to turn it into a year-round training center, and the Stadium Authority board approved the deal in April at $48.5 million. An earlier plan for a training center at Shamrock Farm in Carroll County was dropped.
The final piece came in summer 2026. Churchill Downs Inc. had agreed to buy the Preakness and Black-Eyed Susan rights from 1/ST Racing for $85 million, but Maryland matched the offer under its right of first refusal and closed the purchase at the end of July, so the state now owns both races and Pimlico itself.
Maryland racinos and their neighbors
Maryland racinos number one, but three neighboring states lean on track casinos far more. Delaware has three, all a short drive from the Eastern Shore, West Virginia has Charles Town an hour from Baltimore, and Pennsylvania has six. The what is a racino guide explains why their laws tied machines to tracks while Maryland’s did not.