Slots May Join Juleps And Hats And Ky. Race Tracks

"Gaming has saved horse racing at Sunland Park," he said.

Track ownership has steered casino profits into racing purses, which has attracted bigger fields and better horses that lure more betting.

In Pennsylvania, purses recently increased to a daily average of $170,000 at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course near Harrisburg, largely because of casino gaming. Daily purses are now about twice what was paid out to horsemen before slots arrived in February 2008, said racing director Rob Marella.

In Kentucky, where pari-mutuel wagering and a lottery are staples, the slots proposal has drawn a strong push-back from people fearing the potential social costs.

The Rev. W.B. Bingham III, pastor of Binghamtown Baptist Church in Middlesboro, took a three-hour bus ride with dozens of others to attend a recent rally at the state Capitol in Frankfort.

Bingham said they want to protect children from addicted parents who might wager away money that could be used for food and clothing.

"We love children, and expanding gambling will definitely affect Kentucky's children," he said. "That's our No. 1 concern. How can we afford to expose them to another form of addiction?"