Minnesota Sports Betting Act Balances Interests Among Sports Teams, Horse Racing, Tribes

February 3, 2023 by Leave a Comment

State Senator Jeremy Miller recently announced his intention to introduce the Minnesota Sports Betting Act to legalize retail and online sports betting in the state. Sen. Miller told Gaming Today that his proposed bill will attempt to “strike a balance between stakeholders” to allow Minnesotans to gamble legally.

No Tribal Exclusivity

Unlike HF 776, which passed the Minnesota House last year but failed in the Senate, the Minnesota Sports Betting Act does not provide local tribes with exclusive rights to sports gambling. While some believe that tribal exclusivity is a necessity for any successful Minnesota gambling bill, Sen. Miller feels otherwise.

The Senator believe…

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After Decades of Decline, Nebraska Horse Racing Relying on Racinos

August 9, 2022 by Leave a Comment

The year was 1979. The location: Aksarben racetrack in Omaha. This was a time when horserace betting could draw thousands of spectators, many visiting from out of state. Kotulak said he was blown away.

“When the horses came to town and left, my mother had talked enough sense into me to say: ‘You are going to stay right here and you’re going to finish your schooling,’” Kotulak said with a laugh.

Since the 1980s, the sport has lost popularity in the state and country. Nationally, over the past five years, the industry shrunk by an average of 8.4% – with profits declining by 24%.

In Nebraska, the state has gone from around 100 thoroughbred race days in 2001 to half that by 2021. Aksarben, the one-time crown jewel of Nebraska racing, was demolished in 2005. Now, the area it’s a mixture of businesses and apartments.

Of the six remaining licensed horse racetracks in Nebraska, Fonner Park is by far the largest. Built in 1954, it…

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New York Bill Would Divert Horse Racing Funds

November 19, 2021 by Leave a Comment
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ALBANY — State legislators have introduced a bill that would shift approximately $230 million in annual funding from slot machines and paid to horse racing tracks and breeders and redistribute it to schools, human services and other causes.

The legislation, sponsored by state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, D-Brooklyn, and Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, D-Manhattan, is also backed by a cadre of animal rights groups and social services non-profits, who said they plan to use advertising and grassroots organizing to draw attention to the issue.

“The state has been propping up this industry for decades and there is no reason for that to continue, especially when we need the money the state has been giving to the industry,” Rosenthal said in an interview.

The supplemental payments to horse racing also have defenders in the Democratic caucus, like state Sen. Joseph Addabo, D-Queens, who said the money helps preserve jobs created by the industry.

The bill would allocate a portion of slot machine revenues to…

More on this New York bill and how it affects horse racing in NY

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A Casino and Grants Pass Estimated to Generate over $10B for Oregon

September 26, 2021 by Leave a Comment

GRANTS PASS, Ore.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The highly anticipated gaming, entertainment and dining venue, The Flying Lark, released today an economic impact study analyzing the horse racing industry in partnership with Grants Pass Downs. Independent agency Hunden Strategic Partners (HSP) identified a significant positive impact in job creation, tax and earnings impact to the local economy, and the opportunity to provide funding and stability to the equine industry throughout the region.

The Economic Impact Analysis identified the positive impact to Southern Oregon over the next 30 years, including:

$10.7 billion in net new spending
$3.6 billion in net new earnings
2,007 net new full-time jobs
$361.9 million in tax impact to Oregon

HSP conducted market research and interviews with representatives from local, regional and national organizations to understand the horse racing industry and its impact through three primary components: Grants Pass Downs and the Flying Lark, fair meets, and horse-related spending. The study was designed to determine the economic impact of the horse racing industry in Oregon with the Flying Lark in operation and determine the value of the Flying Lark and Grants Pass Downs within the industry in Oregon.

“The local community was surprised to learn of the significant economic impact the horse racing industry had in Oregon back in the 2012 economic impact study,” said Randy Evers, President of Grants Pass Downs. “While horse racing struggles to survive in other states, today the vision of leaders at both Grants Pass Downs and The Flying Lark will be a major factor for economic growth and stability, most importantly for Southern Oregon, but also the entire state.”

The study discloses the positive impact as industry-changing. The Flying Lark has the unique opportunity to create a legacy, putting Grants Pass and the Josephine County Fairgrounds on the map as a year-round destination. In collaboration with Grants Pass Downs, together they will help restore the horse racing industry, including horse owners, trainers, veterinarians, jockeys, and a wide range of partners, vendors, and suppliers across Oregon. There is a positive cycle of spending and impact between gaming and horse racing.

Historic Horse Racing (HHR) revenues will supplement the industry, including:

Larger purses from pari-mutuel wagering,
Boosted interest in the sport due to greater race quality,
Rising visitation stemming from growing interest,
Improved foal crops as horse ownership becomes more profitable, and
Overall positive trends within the industry.

“The Flying Lark will have a substantial impact on Thoroughbred breeding in Oregon,” said Lynnelle Fox Smith, Executive Director for the Oregon Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. “By knowing the purses will be sizable and the facility will be successful, breeders will continue investing in broodmares, stallions, and breeding to support Oregon’s agriculture.”

The Flying Lark was founded by Grants Pass Native, Travis Boersma, with a commitment to horse racing and Southern Oregon, opening in the winter of 2021. The 35,000 square-foot destination has something for everyone, including Jacks, a full-service family restaurant, Longshots sports bar, the Winner’s Circle bar located in the center of the state-of-the-art historical horse racing (HHR) terminal floor, based on pari-mutuel wagering, and banquet facilities.

Known for its beautiful natural scenery, parks, outdoor recreation, and wineries in Southern Oregon, The Flying Lark will also open The Wonder Walk. This world-class equine-based art walk will beautifully surround the facility and feature pieces by regional artists that celebrate horses’ majestic nature, power and beauty.

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Horse Racing Czar Rips NY Sports Betting Process

August 20, 2021 by Leave a Comment

A week after the New York Gaming Commission announced that it had received six bids with the goal of offering mobile sports betting in the state, Meadowlands Racetrack operator Jeff Gural remained in an ornery mood this week at the Racing and Gaming Conference held at Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

“I’m being nice — I won’t be so nice later,” Gural said on Tuesday morning during a Q&A portion of one conference panel, as he warned two elected officials that if the process fails, “You’ll have everybody laughing at you.”

And as part of the last panel of the two-day event at the iconic racetrack, Gural showed he was not joking.

As owner of two upstate New York harness racing tracks — Tioga Downs and Vernon Downs — Gural has reason to have mixed feelings about New York’s plan for a mobile betting tax rate of at least 50%.

The more inefficient a formula that plays out in New York, the more likely it is that the FanDuel Sportsbook at this Meadowlands site — the highest-grossing such book in the country — suffers minimal harm. But for the 79-year-old New York and New Jersey real estate mogul, putting forward what he sees as a poor business model seems to offend Gural most of all.

Asked for his overall opinion of the New York plan, Gural groused, “I don’t think they got anything right. They got..

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Can a Hawthorne ‘Racino’ Keep Horse Racing Alive in Chicago?

July 28, 2021 by Leave a Comment

My first day at Arlington Park was one of the most momentous of my life.

It was July 1, 1996. My father’s wife was in town for a conference, and he needed to kill an afternoon. He suggested the track.

Even before we walked inside, I was awed by Arlington. From Northwest Highway, the grandstand resembled a splendid resort hotel. Its roof, a cowl painted the green of ancient copper, floated above the summer trees. Outside the gate, a garden spelled out A-R-L-I-N-G-T-O-N in red begonias.

Inside, the very worst thing that can happen to a novice gambler happened to me: I won a lot of money…

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Horse Racing Ends as Marquis Downs will be permanently shut down. Casino Lives On

March 17, 2021 by Leave a Comment

Saskatchewan’s horse racing community is in shock after Saskatoon’s Prairieland Park announced it is permanently cancelling horse racing [in Canada].

“For Prairieland to shut the future of horse racing in Saskatchewan down is numbing,” said Eddie Esquirol, president of the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protection Association and the owner of 30 race horses.

“There’s 500 people involved in the industry.”

Esquirol said 40 to 50 per cent of people in the industry in Saskatchewan are Indigenous.

He said people are going to be forced to relocate to Manitoba or Alberta if they want to continue with horse racing.

“It’s a real gut punch for the horse racing industry in Saskatchewan,” said trainer Anita Gardipy.

Gardipy’s family has been training horses for many generations.

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Will Horse Racing Survive in New Mexico?

March 16, 2021 by Leave a Comment

New Mexico horse owners struggle with no racing at Sunland ParkNM Horse owners struggle with no racing at Sunland Park

The entire racing season at Sunland Park was officially canceled on Feb. 18 after being on hold for months, and it has now forced many horse owners trainers to reassess their situation.

Some have chosen to make the tough call and move their entire stable elsewhere to ensure their livelihood and that of their staffs.

Others have chosen to stay put because moving would cost too much money. In turn, they’ve had to sell some horses to keep others fed and stay afloat.

“If we were to have ran our full meet, they wouldn’t have made any money here,” said Rick Baugh, the general manager of Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino. “There just wasn’t enough purse money to go around.”

The driver of purse money is the casino and because it had been closed until just recently, the purse money was very limited.

According to Baugh, it was at an approximate $1.4 million, which wouldn’t go very far at Sunland Park…

I wonder… is the casino open?

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Single-game betting worries Canada’s horse racing operators

March 12, 2021 by Leave a Comment

“Horse-racing wagerers that would access fixed-odds betting will move away from the Canadian parimutuel pools,” said Woodbine Entertainment Group CEO Jim Lawson. “This will dramatically cannibalize the Canadian horse racing industry’s market share, and these operators would earn their revenue without contributing to the substantial cost of producing our content.”

Canada’s legislators are looking to pass an amendment to the Criminal Code that would legalise single-event sports betting in the country.

Single-game betting is currently illegal except in horse racing, and betting on other sports is more centered around several games at a time. Bill C-218 was proposed by Conservative MP Kevin Waugh and would allow gamblers to bet on single games in other sports. He also says it should help with illegal gambling.

While horse racing operators tentatively support the bill, they released an address to the Government where they asked to ensure the horse racing industry and its 50,000 jobs would be protected.

Another concern is fixed odds. Generally, odds in horse racing fluctuate until the horse leaves the starting gate. If other operators, such as casinos, start accepting wagers on horse races, it’s more than likely their odds would be fixed, which might make them more appealing to the player.

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South Sioux City horse race track to offer gambling

November 11, 2020 by Leave a Comment

SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) – After decades of rejecting casino gambling, Nebraska voters overwhelmingly approved measures [election day] to allow it at state-licensed horse racing tracks.

There’s been some hurdles along the way for those in favor of legalizing gambling in Nebraska. Back in September, opponents fought hard to keep the issue off the ballot, filing a lawsuit that was rejected by the Nebraska Supreme Court.

“It was a big accomplishment even getting it on the ballot and then once it got on there it approved vary easily and that tells me just looking at it that people are okay with it and are approving it,” said South Sioux City Mayor Rod Koch.

In Nebraska, only limited forms of gambling are currently available like keno.

The initiative passing Tuesday night changes that. The state constitution will now allow slot machines and table gambling at horse tracks in Nebraska…

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