Im not from the area, but I was disappointed to hear that they will be consolidating Laurel and Pimlico into the new Pimlico only.
I don't think the problem has anything to do with horse racing per se. It has to do with lack of "affordable housing", and the real estate values of where these tracks around the country are located, especially those in residential areas. The astronomical real estate values make it very tempting to cash out rather than commit land for tracks. Plus, there's the older (still only a couple decades) problem of casinos taking over where both horse and dog tracks used to be.
The way things are today, it is more possible than ever to bet online and use all the information and video feed which an OTB provides. Of course, it's not the same as being there, but for the vast number of casuals, unless the wife or buddies want to go, you're (our) desires as active handicappers can feel like solo endeavors. Anyway, it is good to see some younger interest in the sport, and I expect this to stay good, but the physical imprint of tracks probably isn't going to grow, maybe ever. I'm thankful that Fanduel supports the industry and I hope that doesn't change. I have come to rely on their channel (formerly TVG) for live races (better than watching a computer screen), and also FS2 has been contributing, but they have more commercial interruptions.
