Swartz Creek - The five horses turned the corner at the Sports Creek Raceway track on Friday night and began the final dash to the finish line.
An announcer's voice proclaimed one horse the leader, then another, then 'Born to be Special' nosed forward for the win. But the outdoor viewing area of the Swartz Creek facility was empty, and the indoor seating held a small fraction of its capacity.
A horse track that flourished when it opened 19 years ago now entertains small groups, mostly men, who watch broadcasts of out-of-state races and place their bets.
Unwilling to throw in the towel, the seven racetracks in Michigan want to add video lottery terminals to remain competitive with other major gambling establishments.
"This industry is at a point that we have to have something happen," said Chris Locking, general manager of the raceway. "We can be a very viable industry if we're given the tools to compete."
Meanwhile, a state constitutional amendment, Proposal 1, looks to increase the average citizen's involvement in deciding whether more gambling is added in Michigan.
If it passes on Nov. 2, Proposal 1 would amend the Michigan Constitution to require gambling operations - outside of American Indian tribal casinos and Detroit casinos - to get voter approval at the state and local levels before they expand.
In addition to the horse racetracks, there are three Detroit casinos, 17 American Indian casinos and the Michigan Lottery in the state.
"Read the proposal, just read it," said Roger Martin, spokesman of Let Voters Decide - YES on 1, a coalition of groups supporting the effort. "All Proposal 1 does is give Michigan voters the ability to make the decision if the state wants to expand casinos into local communities."
Martin said Michigan voters historically have voted on gambling expansions in the state, including the creation of the lottery in 1972 and the three Detroit casinos in 1996.
If Proposal 1 doesn't pass, casino-style games could be added into restaurants, bowling alleys and horse racetracks by the Michigan Legislature and without voter approval, Martin said.
But Locking said that isn't true, and that his racetrack had to undergo intense scrutiny from the local community before it was built. Putting in video lottery terminals would require local cooperation, he said.
"A 'No' vote wouldn't put machines in here," Locking said. "It would still go through the Legislature, and the local community could require a referendum."
A poll released last week by Mitchell Research & Communications Inc. of East Lansing found 46 percent of those questioned supported the proposal and 40 percent opposed it. About 400 Michigan residents were polled by telephone on Oct. 18 and 19.
Some people are worried about the effect the proposal could have on education.
The lottery provides a large amount of money to the Michigan School Aid Fund and it must be protected, said Liz Boyd, spokeswoman for Gov. Jennifer Granholm. All of the Lottery's profits are put into the School Aid Fund. This year, the Lottery contributed $644.5 million to the fund, which is 5.2 percent of its $12.4 billion budget.
"It's a considerable amount of money," Boyd said. "If the public had to vote every time the Lottery wanted to expand, that would be a very onerous process.
"It would cripple the Lottery's ability to compete against other forms of entertainment."
But Martin said the proposal would not harm education because the Michigan Lottery does not have casino-style games and only new games are affected.
"This is such an exaggerated and preposterous idea," Martin said. "The Lottery accounts for about 3 cents of every dollar that goes to public schools. Plus, Proposal 1 has no effect on existing games."
But seeing Granholm on TV criticizing Proposal 1 has influenced some of the residents in Swartz Creek who have lived by the Sports Creek Raceway for years.
"Jenny Granholm said vote 'No' on it, so that's where I am," said Robert Burns, 45, who lives about a mile from the raceway. "I have to do what's in the best interests of the taxpayers and the schools."
But his next-door neighbor, Rod, 41, said he prefers that no new gambling come to the area and will vote 'Yes' on Proposal 1.
"It brings undesirables to this small town," he said. "We'd like to keep our little town little - and quiet."
