Yet, few might know that most of that money, as well as most of the purses that go to owners of winning horses, is not funded by people placing bets on horses. Rather, it's funded by the tens of thousands of small-time Pennsylvania casino patrons who play — and lose at — slot machines. Thanks to a law written primarily by the horse-racing industry itself, slots players — many of whom are retired and elderly — are the primary funders of what some consider a massive corporate welfare program that props up the state's horse-race industry, and often benefits rich horse owners.