In the wake of the announcement that Rosecroft Raceway will be closing July 1, former Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. has fired a shot in regard to the way the state has handled the issue of expanded gambling within its borders

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An article by The Washington Post quotes Ehrlich as saying yesterday that the ill fate of the track comes as "a sobering reminder of state government's failure to design a viable gaming program in Maryland."

In a statement, Ehrlich, who is trying to win the job back from current Gov. Martin O'Malley, asserted that the closure of Rosecroft and an accompanying loss of 200 jobs could have been avoided.

"I was proud to introduce a bipartisan plan for slot machines at Maryland race tracks as far back as 2003," Ehrlich said. "Rosecroft would be on much stronger financial footing today had the legislature adopted that plan and had the O'Malley Administration not bungled implementation of its own flawed plan."

(With files from The Washington Post)