CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - They still race thoroughbreds at the historic Charles Town horse track. But that isn't what draws thousands of visitors every day to this rural town in the West Virginia panhandle.
They come to bet on slots in a facility that has been transformed into a glitzy, Las Vegas-style casino. People arrive by car and bus from Baltimore, the Washington suburbs and elsewhere in the region to try their luck.
Last year, they lost $190 million playing slots here. That sum, called the "take," is the money left after players are paid any winnings. The track's owners and others in the racing industry get more than half of that - and the rest goes to state and local government.
As Maryland officials consider whether to legalize slots at four state tracks, fans and critics of West Virginia's gambling enterprise have plenty to offer to the debate.
Supporters say that slots have been a boon to Jefferson County, where Charles Town Races & Slots is located. With 1,100 full- and part-time workers, the business has become the county's largest employer.
"There is a great spinoff effect in terms of people coming into the area, patronizing our hotels, restaurants and other businesses," said Jane Peters, director of the county's economic development agency.
"The increase in traffic is the only real negative. Everything else is pretty positive," she said.
But gambling opponents such as the Rev. Michael A. Withem of First Baptist Church of Ranson say county leaders see the racetrack casino through rose-colored glasses because of the money it generates.
"They don't want to look at the negative part of it," said Withem. "Gambling does nothing but destroy lives and marriages. It's not worth any amount of money that it brings in."
As an example of the problems, he pointed to recent articles in a local newspaper detailing the arrest of two women accused of embezzling $24,000 from a Charles Town restaurant where they worked. They told police they spent the money gambling on slots.
Maryland has not fully engaged in a public discussion of the pros and cons of slot machines, but key legislative leaders would like to allow them at tracks. Republican Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. says he'll push to get slots - and the money they would bring to the state's treasury - if he is elected governor. Democrat Kathleen Kennedy Townsend is a staunch opponent.
