Bally

Alliance Gaming Corp., a Las Vegas-based operator of gambling machines and the owner of casinos in Mississippi and Nevada, said yesterday that it had offered to acquire Bally Gaming International, the nation's second-largest slot machine maker after International Game Technology of Reno, for more than $134 million, or $12.50 a share, in cash and stock.The unsolicited bid came two months after WMS Industries, a Chicago-based manufacturer of gambling machines and coin-operated amusement equipment, said it had agreed in principle to acquire Bally Gaming in a cash and stock deal valued at $127 million, or about $11.85 a share.

Harness horsemen from the Cloverleaf Standardbred Owners' Association received a warm but wary reception from the Maryland Racing Commission in Timonium yesterday when the horsemen presented the board with their plans to purchase Rosecroft and Delmarva raceways.There seem to be few obstacles in the way as the board and a legislative review committee go through an expedited examination process over the next 15 days to assist Cloverleaf in purchasing the tracks by June 29. That's the date the current owner, Colt Enterprises, has scheduled to file for bankruptcy and close the tracks unless the deal is completed.

FORT WASHINGTON -- At about 7 o'clock last night, Jerry Brittingham, president of the Cloverleaf Standardbred Owners' Association, stood in the paddock at Rosecroft Raceway and told assembled horsemen: "We've bought a racetrack."Earlier in the evening, by a vote of 23-0 with three abstentions, the board of the harness horsemen's organization gave the OK for the association to borrow $10.6 million from the Bally casino corporation and the First National Bank of Maryland to purchase Rosecroft and its sister track, Delmarva Downs near Ocean City, from current owners Colt Enterprises.

Maryland's harness-racing owners and trainers, through their Cloverleaf association, have taken the bait: They decided this week to form a partnership with a major casino-gambling company as a way to rescue their two floundering tracks. The harness horsemen may discover that they are only pawns in a much bigger struggle to legalize casinos throughout the state.Bally Entertainment Corp., with giant casinos in Nevada and Atlantic City and riverboat gambling along the Mississippi, now has a tentative agreement to manage Rosecroft and Delmarva Downs, though the company has never run a race track before.

Thoroughbred racing leaders expressed concern yesterday about the decision of the state's harness-racing horsemen to enter into a deal with the Bally casino operators to purchase Rosecroft and Delmarva raceways.Although the harness horsemen rejected the same sort of joint venture offered by Joe De Francis to assist them in buying the tracks, the Pimlico/Laurel owner said he plans to continue extensive intertrack and off-track betting programs already in place with the harness industry."They [the programs]

When the Cloverleaf Standardbred Owners' Association board meets tonight, it will be deciding how to gamble on the future of harness racing in Maryland.One board member, trainer Bibb Roberts, is placing his bet with a casino operator, Bally's. Another board member, breeder Joe Thomson, is putting his money on Cloverleaf. They represent opposing viewpoints on whether the Rosecroft and Delmarva tracks should be sold to a casino operator or to horsemen."I'm going with Bally's," Roberts said.

When the Cloverleaf Standardbred Owners' Association board meets tonight, it will be deciding how to gamble on the future of harness racing in Maryland.One board member, trainer Bibb Roberts, is placing his bet with a casino operator, Bally's. Another board member, breeder Joe Thomson, is putting his money on Cloverleaf. They represent the opposing viewpoints on whether the Rosecroft and Delmarva tracks should be sold to a casino operator or to horsemen."I'm going with Bally's," Roberts said.

A harness horsemen's organization last night rejected the first attempt of a casino operator to take over ownership of a Maryland racetrack.By a vote of 16-14 in Annapolis, the board of directors of the Cloverleaf Standardbred Owners Association rejected an offer made by the Bally's Entertainment Corp. to assume their position and take over Cloverleaf's letter of intent to purchase financially troubled Rosecroft and Delmarva raceways.The Cloverleaf board will meet again May 31 to review all the proposals that have been made, including another look at the Bally's deal.

It is a cynical squeeze-play concocted at the last minute to create havoc in Maryland's racing industry and pave the way for casino gambling in this state. And it just might work.Here's what's happened. Maryland's two harness-racing tracks, Rosecroft and Delmarva, are on the verge of bankruptcy. The estate of its deceased owner has the tracks up for sale. The state's 1,400 standardbred owners and trainers, through their Cloverleaf Association, has made a novel suggestion to purchase the two tracks, slowly pay off the debts and keep for themselves any profits through higher purses on races.

A nationally known casino operator might be buying financially troubled Rosecroft and Delmarva raceways.The Cloverleaf Standardbred Owners Association, which hopes to purchase the tracks, voted instead last night to take another week to consider refinements in a contract submitted to its board last night by the Bally's Entertainment Corp. of Chicago to purchase the raceways.Bally's would assume the bank loan and obligations of the current owners, Colt Enterprises, and take over Cloverleaf's Letter of Intent to purchase the tracks.