The state lottery director said Tuesday his agency could work more closely with the Maryland Racing Commission to promote its Racetrax lotto game as an alternative to live horse racing after the commission expressed concern about competition.

Buddy Roogow was asked to appear at the racing commission’s monthly meeting at Laurel Park to address a recent advertising campaign for Racetrax, a virtual reality horse racing game that some commissioners said was discouraging people from going to actual racetracks.

“It effectively competes with us,” said Commissioner Louis Ulman. “If you could say instead, ‘If you can’t get to Laurel [Park] or Pimlico [Race Course], here’s an alternative,’ that would be better.”

Roogow said the lottery could “accent that” in the next advertising campaign for Racetrax and make immediate changes to the Web site to reflect that message.

He also noted that the lottery’s position was that the game promotes horse racing.

“It is possible that by playing this game people will get more interested in racing,” he said.

Sharon Roberts, executive director of the Cloverleaf Standardbred Owners Association, said if that was the case, the same consideration should be given for Ocean Downs Racetrack and Rosecroft Raceway, the state’s two harness racing tracks.

“If the commission is representing the whole industry, harness racing ought to be on those machines also,” she said.

Roogow said that was a possibility. He and the commission’s executive director will be collaborating on a message within the coming weeks.

Roogow also updated the commission on the progress of slots licenses and development, saying the 600-machine site at Ocean Downs is scheduled to open Memorial Day Weekend and the slots licensing commission is expected Wednesday to approve Penn National Gaming’s license in Cecil County. That site is expected to open next October with 1,500 machines.

Proposals for the state’s two biggest sites are still at a standstill. David Cordish’s proposal for the Arundel Mills area in Anne Arundel County hinges on that site’s zoning approval and Baltimore City Entertainment Group recently expanded its proposal to 3,570 machines in Baltimore but has not yet submitted the additional $19.5 million license fee.

When the commission asked about the possibility of slots at Laurel Park, Roogow said the Cordish proposal would have to be rejected or withdrawn before another company could submit an application for a license in Anne Arundel County.