THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 28, 1996 TAG: 9608280437
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAVID M. POOLE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: 53 lines
Chesapeake Sen. Mark L. Earley on Tuesday called for the repeal of parimutuel betting, predicting Colonial Downs will try to supplement horse racing with casino-style slot machines.
``That's not what Virginians bargained for when they approved the parimutuel referendum eight years ago,'' said Earley, who is jockeying for the Republican nomination for attorney general next year.
Horse racing advocates called Earley's proposal a political stunt that would go nowhere when the 1997 General Assembly convenes in January, seven months before Colonial Downs is scheduled to open in New Kent County.
``I just think it's kind of strange that someone running for attorney general would invite a massive lawsuit against the state,'' said Robin Traywick Williams, a member of the Virginia Racing Commission.
The Ohio-based owners of Colonial Downs could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.
Earley said his concerns about creeping casino gambling at Colonial Downs have been fueled by statements by the track's new principal owner, Jeffrey Jacobs of Cleveland.
Earlier this month, Jacobs said he would like to double the number of approved off-site betting parlors from six to 12.
He also said he would seek the General Assembly's permission to introduce ``video poker'' slot machines at Colonial Downs, if tracks in neighboring Maryland get casino-style games.
Earley said none of these additional forms of gaming were mentioned when Virginia voters approved a parimutuel referendum in 1988.
Earley and Virginia Beach Sen. Kenneth W. Stolle have made parimutuel betting a contentious issue in their posturing for the 1997 GOP nomination for attorney general.
Stolle, an unsparing critic of the Colonial Downs management, authored a law passed earlier this year that requires the track to open by next July or face the closure of its off-track betting parlor in Chesapeake and a second site planned for Richmond.
Stolle said that Earley's bill was an effort to placate evangelical conservatives, who will hold a sizable block of votes in next year's GOP primary.
``Mark is afraid I have moved to the right of him on gambling issues,'' Stolle said. ``But it's pretty irresponsible to change the rules after someone has invested millions of dollars in this.''
Earley replied, ``If anyone might have a (legal) claim, it's the people of Virginia for having to put up with this charade at Colonial Downs long enough.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
Mark Earley, left, and Kenneth Stolle have made parimutuel betting
an issue in their attorney general contest. by CNB