In the aftermath of the failed passage of the legislation that would have allowed video lottery terminals at Kentucky racetracks, several Thoroughbred industry members voiced their opinions on how they will survive without the extra boost to the state's purse structure and breeders' incentive programs.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Passage of legislation that would allow video lottery terminals at Kentucky racetracks would provide a boost to the state's yearling auctions later this year, according to Brereton Jones of Airdrie Stud.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Kentucky Sen. Damon Thayer, who sponsored the legislation that resulted in Kentucky's Breeders' Incentive Fund, has inquired about another method of garnering funds for the state's Thoroughbred industry.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Casino and racetrack operator Penn National Gaming Inc., which is under contract to be purchased by two private entities, said April 24 its first-quarter profit dipped 5% on pre-opening expenses and economic challenges.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
The franchise to operate Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga will be front and center Sept. 12 during a meeting of the New York Senate Committee on Racing, Gaming, and Wagering.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Hoosier Park officials decided Wednesday to forgo a temporary slots facility and build a 92,696-square-foot casino with permanent slots at the Anderson, Ind., racetrack.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Albany Law School's Saratoga Institute on Racing and Gaming Law got off to a fast-paced start Aug. 7 when Dr. Don Catlin, a pioneer in the field of athletic drug testing, addressed a group of assembled lawyers and industry representatives gathered at the Gideon Putnam Hotel in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
The New York Racing Association will become the first racing entity in New York to offer internet wagering. State regulators April 26 approved a NYRA application to permit the potentially lucrative form of gambling, beginning as soon as NYRA can start the venture.
Friday, April 27, 2007
A bill that would allow California racetracks to retain their license fees to boost purses and breeders' awards successfully passed out of the California State Senate Governmental Organization Committee April 24 on a 7-0 vote.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
A joint resolution that would allow voters of individual Florida counties to decide if they want specified forms of casino gaming is among at least two pieces of gaming legislation filed for the upcoming session of the Florida Legislature, which begins March 5.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
President Bush signed a bill Oct. 13 to tighten port security and ban Internet gambling - with the exception of wagers placed on horse racing.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Comments from officials from the United States Trotting Association, the American Quarter Horse Association, and the Greyhound industries mirrored concerns facing the Thoroughbred industry during a panel discussion at the opening session of the Association of Racing Commissioners International convention.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
For the third straight year, a bill legalizing slot machines in Maryland is headed for the House of Delegates, where it's anyone's guess what will happen next.
Monday, February 14, 2005
The winter convention of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States will feature a "Thoroughbred Summit" at which speakers will discuss the changing forces impacting the pari-mutuel industry.
Thursday, January 06, 2005
The gaming room at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway, which opened Jan. 28, handled $82 million and provided net earnings of $6.3 million through March 1.
Thursday, March 04, 2004
A spokesman for Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry says the governor could sign the gaming bill on his desk by early next week.
Tuesday, March 02, 2004
West Virginia has joined Washington as states planning to consolidate government functions and make the racing commission part of a broader gambling commission.
Tuesday, January 14, 2003
Legislation to authorize video lottery terminals at all pari-mutuel facilities in Florida was filed by Sen. Steven Geller, who said it could very well be changed in light of concerns over revenue splits.
Wednesday, December 18, 2002
Can racing and gaming be integrated in one facility? Apparently so, but the final product won't look the same from racetrack to racetrack.
Tuesday, December 10, 2002
The Louisiana State Gaming Control Board has ruled that video poker machines at Delta Downs in Vinton qualify as slot machines under state law.
Thursday, July 18, 2002
The costs of problem gambling could outweigh the economic benefits if Ohio's seven racetracks were permitted to install slot machines, according to a draft report by a committee studying the impact of gambling in the state.
Wednesday, June 19, 2002
Prairie Meadows stands to save $17 million in gaming tax payments this year and $23 million by 2004 after the Iowa Supreme Court ruled June 12 that it was unconstitutional to charge a higher tax rate for slot machines at racetracks than those on riverboats.
Thursday, June 13, 2002
The pari-mutuel industry in Iowa got a major boost June 12 when state Supreme Court justices ruled they could "find no rational reason for treating racetrack slot machines differently than riverboat slot machines." Racetracks currently pay a 32% tax, while the riverboats pay 20%.
Wednesday, June 12, 2002
With the help of three Republicans who crossed the isle June 7, hopes for dockside gaming and pull-tab legislation continue to live as the full House passed House Bill 1001 by a 51-47 margin. The legislation now moves to the full Senate, which has a Republican majority.
Monday, June 10, 2002
Plans have been floated for two racetracks in Louisiana, but some legislators have asked the state racing commission not to issue any more licenses. They believe the plans are more about gaming than horse racing.
Monday, June 10, 2002
The Ohio Senate May 30 concurred with House changes and approved a $1.17-billion budget bill that has no provisions for video lottery terminals at the state's seven racetracks. However, supporters of legislation to legalize VLTs are still confident the proposal will pass in the future.
Friday, May 31, 2002
Racetrack casinos in five states generated $2.1 billion in revenue and $577.9 million for state and local governments, according to the American Gaming Association's "State of the States" survey of casino entertainment.
Thursday, May 30, 2002
A deal to give New York racetracks a greater share of proceeds from video lottery terminals appears to be falling apart, according to state budget negotiators.
Tuesday, May 14, 2002
Expanded gambling, including slot machines at racetracks, took a hit May 9 when the Masschusetts House voted against it, but legislators did establish a committee to make recommendations on the issue by the end of the year.
Friday, May 10, 2002
Plans by the New York Racing Association to build a world-class gambling facility to house video lottery terminals at Aqueduct will have to be shelved because state regulators are requiring tracks to pay too much of the program's expenses.
Tuesday, April 02, 2002
New York State Sen. William J. Larkin Jr., who played a key role in the passage of legislation mandating the expansion of gaming in New York, will present the keynote address at next month's New York Gaming Summit.
Wednesday, March 20, 2002
Shares of MTR Gaming Group (Nasdaq:MNTG), owner of Mountaineer Park in West Virginia, fell as high as 27% on Tuesday, a day after the racetrack, casino and hotel operator reported lingering problems in converting its slot machines to higher wagers. The company also surprised analysts by annoumcing higher than expected costs associated with a new hotel.
Tuesday, February 26, 2002
Hundreds of eager gamblers lined up Wednesday outside Delta Downs in Vinton, La., to gamble in its new 1,500-machine slots parlor. Boyd Gaming, the track's owner, officially opened the large casino after months of legal snags and delays and an investment of more than $165 million.
Thursday, February 14, 2002
Boyd Gaming, which owns Delta Downs in Vinton, La., has paid $5.1 million to former owner Shawn Scott for his remaining interest in a proposed slot-machine parlor at the racetrack, according to recent filings by Boyd with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Tuesday, December 18, 2001
Boyd Gaming will keep all 700 new Delta Downs employees on its payroll even though it doesn't know when it will open its slot-machine casino at the Vinton, La., facility it purchased for $125 million.
Thursday, December 13, 2001
The Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, the statewide organization representing owners and trainers at Philadelphia Park, has endorsed legislation sponsored by Rep. John Taylor to allow slot machines at Pennsylvania's four licensed racetracks.
Tuesday, December 11, 2001
The video lottery terminals proposed for New York racetrack appear to be less of a good deal than was expected when a law that permits them was rushed through two months ago, the head of the New York Racing Association said.
Sunday, December 09, 2001
The video lottery terminals proposed for New York racetrack appear to be less of a good deal than when a law that permits them was rushed through two months ago, the head of the New York Racing Association said.
Sunday, December 09, 2001
A push is under way in California for expanded gaming at proposed casinos or any outlet that currently holds a gaming license, including racetracks, according to published reports.
Friday, November 09, 2001
A Pennsylvania State University study says that slot machines at the state's four racetracks would trigger a $2.5 billion increase in gross state product and hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for state and local governments.
Wednesday, October 10, 2001
Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn has signed legislation that legalizes Internet gambling, though the first Internet casinos probably won't be licensed for a year and a half.
Friday, June 15, 2001
A state judge in New York has slapped down the governor's ability to negotiate casino deals on his own with Indian nations -- a major ruling that could halt a number of efforts under way by tribes to build new casinos.
Wednesday, April 11, 2001
Slot machines and card tables had an undeniable influence on the 8% growth seen in North American purses in 2000. Out of the top 10 racetracks in the United States and Canada, ranked by growth in total purses, seven offer slot and/or video poker machines and one offers card games. Leading the list is Sunland Park, the New Mexico racetrack nestled against the Texas border town of El Paso. Gross purses at Sunland Park grew 160%, from $1.69 million in 1999 to $4.4 million last year.
Friday, March 30, 2001
The Ohio Senate has begun research to see whether the question of racetrack video lottery terminals can be put on the ballot in the seven counties that have tracks. The state needs money to fund its education program and, as the newspaper reported Thursday, also needs revenue to offset a decline in tax receipts. Income from taxes is expected to be $850 million short of projections through early 2003.
Friday, March 30, 2001
A proposal to use racetrack video lottery terminals to fund Ohio's educational system is dead, newspapers throughout the state reported Tuesday. A top legislator in the state had suggested that up to 1,500 machines be place in each of Ohio's seven racetracks to raise $900 million over the next two years.
Tuesday, March 20, 2001
A comprehensive overhaul of Indiana's gaming laws, including a provision to allow electronic pull-tab machines at Churchill Downs-owned Hoosier Park, was approved Wednesday by a House committee. The proposed legislation passed on an 11-3 vote by the House Public Policy Committee is designed to alter state laws allowing dockside gambling for the state's riverboat industry.
Thursday, January 18, 2001
In what has been labeled the largest shutdown of legalized gambling in this country's history, the plug will be pulled on some 22,000 slot machines in South Carolina as of midnight Friday.
Wednesday, June 28, 2000
