Tioga Downs, a Standardbred track west of Binghamton in the struggling Southern Tier region of New York, will be permitted to install slot machines and table games under a plan approved Aug. 30 by the New York State Gaming Commission.
Cherokee Casino Will Rogers Downs is in the midst of a renovation that includes amenities for racing patrons.
A decision on the re-privatization of NYRA was delayed, but groups in the city of Saratoga Springs are taking full advantage of the well-attended summer race meet to reiterate their position in advance of the 2017 legislative session.
Statistics in the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission annual report for 2015 reflect how integral revenue from slot machines is to purses for Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing at six racetrack casinos in the state.
The most lucrative North American race meet of the year thus far in terms of overnight purses begins July 22 with the opening of Saratoga Race Course.
A statewide referendum to allow a slots parlor adjacent to Suffolk Downs will move forward after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled June 28 the question can be on the November ballot.
The operator of the video lottery terminal casino at Aqueduct Racetrack plans a December groundbreaking on an expansion project expected to add more than 750,000-square-feet to the facility, but the plan hasn't been presented to NYRA.
The Pennsylvania House June 22 passed an amendment that adds Internet gambling to a bill that would permit more slot machines in the state but stopped short of approving video gaming machines for bars, taverns, and private clubs.
Horsemen's groups and casino operators in Pennsylvania have made known their opposition to legislation that would authorize tens of thousands of video gaming terminals in bars and taverns.
One of the last acts of the New York legislature before its 2016 session ended June 18 was to send a message to one of its neighbors: New York is poised to act if New Jersey moves to build casinos near the New York border.
New York lawmakers gave final passage early June 18 to a measure legalizing daily fantasy sports contests, which have been attracting a growing worldwide audience among sports fans and gamblers.
Talks have stalled over returning control of the New York Racing Association to private hands after a four-year period in which appointees of Gov. Andrew Cuomo have dominated the not-for-profit corporation's board of directors.
New York's top fiscal watchdog said the New York Racing Association's portrayal of its financial improvements have been artificially inflated after an audit found the not-for-profit operation has run up deficits of $109 million on the racing side.
Officials in New York have been quietly discussing ways to "send a shot across the Hudson River" in advance of New Jersey's fall referendum in which voters will determine if two casinos can be located in the northern part of the state.
Woodbine Entertainment Group and the Ontario Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association June 7 said they have signed a contract that guarantees 133 days of live racing at Woodbine through 2018.
Parties in a lawsuit over the state's denial of a request for slot machines at a simulcast and poker facility in Gadsden County made their cases before the Florida Supreme Court June 7.
A measure to end the state's control of the New York Racing Association is advancing in the New York legislature, and a key lawmaker said Gov. Andrew Cuomo has still not revealed his own idea for the future of the racing organization.
Craig Beam, owner and operator of Thorobeam Farm in Sabina, Ohio, has been named by Gov. John Kasich to the Ohio Thoroughbred Race Fund three-member committee.
The New York State Gaming Commission May 23 approved a regulation to standardize and increase penalties against gambling operations—including racetracks—that let any minor under age 18 place wagers on their products.
Thoroughbred racing will return to Suffolk Downs for three two-day racing festivals, officials at the Massachusetts track said May 5. The mini-meets will be held in July, August, and September.
More than $228 million was accrued for purses at six Pennsylvania racetracks in 2015 with almost 90% of the funds derived from slot machine revenue, according to an annual report that analyzes the racetrack gaming industry in the state.
The president of the New York THA said it's disappointing that revenue from the planned 1,000 new VLTs at Aqueduct won't produce revenue for purses and the New York Racing Association.
In an attempt to keep Thoroughbred racing alive in Massachusetts, the New England HBPA has formed a coalition that is intent upon building a new, non-profit equine center and racetrack in the state.
The head of the horsemen's group at Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack is predicting the end of racing at the upstate Thoroughbred track, after a new state government budget deal failed to protect purse levels.
Horses are back training at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort, where more than three months of down time in late fall and winter allowed time for improvements in the barn area.
A subcommittee of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission March 29 opted to delay a vote and instead solicit input on the percentage of revenue Thoroughbred and Standardbred purses and breeding funds get from casino gaming.
Racing and gambling matters are still in play in New York as the governor and lawmakers try in the coming week to put the finishing touches on a new state budget.
An official with Rockingham Park, which remains open for simulcasts but hasn't offered live racing since 2009, confirmed March 24 that the property will be put on the market.
The New York State Senate budget resolution for fiscal 2016-17 includes a few recommendations for protecting revenue for the horse racing industry given impending competition from full-scale casinos.
Revenue for horse racing is included in a casino-expansion referendum that will be put before New Jersey voters in November. The legislation states that not less than 2% of revenue would go to support horse racing.
A strong push to decouple racing from gaming officially hit the wall with the end of this year's Florida legislative session March 11, but a horsemen's coalition said it fully expects the issue to come up again in 2017.
With on- and off-track pari-mutuel wagering both up at the halfway point of its 2016 meet, Oaklawn Park has again raised overnight purses, this time by up to $5,000 a race.
Major gambling bills tied to a $3 billion compact with the Seminole tribe were removed from a Florida Senate committee agenda March 1 and may not be addressed before the current legislative session ends.
Pro-racing lawmakers in West Virginia took part in a March 1 Capitol press conference to discuss the economic impact of Thoroughbred racing and breeding given legislation that would decouple live racing from gaming.
Legislation that would allow most pari-mutuel operations to end live racing and become slot-machine casinos or card rooms with simulcast wagering easily cleared the Florida House Finance and Tax Committee Feb. 29.
The Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association said it believes it can find common ground with Arlington as it moves into contract negotiations and also work with track officials to better position Illinois racing.
A state group that studies the impact of tax changes in Florida offered a general assessment Feb. 26 that decoupling horse racing from gaming would have minimal effect on pari-mutuel revenue for state government.
The West Virginia Senate Feb. 25 had first reading on legislation that would defund and decouple greyhound racing from gaming but maintain requirements that Thoroughbred racing receive its share of gaming revenue.
Legislation designed to modernize horse racing in Pennsylvania was signed into law Feb. 23 by Gov. Tom Wolf, who last fall threatened to shut down the industry because it couldn't pay for regulation.
The New Hampshire Senate voted Feb. 18 to table a bill authorizing one casino to be located at Rockingham Park, dealing yet another blow to hopes for the revitalization of the track and the return of live Thoroughbred racing.
The Florida Senate Regulated Industries Committee Feb. 17 passed two pieces of legislation, one authorizing a compact with the Seminole tribe and another that would allow decoupling at most racetracks in the state.
Legislation that would remove the requirement that racetracks with gaming also offer live racing has been introduced in the West Virginia Senate.
In the wake of bills introduced in the Florida legislature, horsemen have reiterated their opposition to any measure that would permit pari-mutuel facilities to end live racing but maintain gaming operations.
Former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, in comments that helped kick off the Consignors and Commercial Breeders Association symposium Feb. 2, said horse racing and breeding in the state is strong, but challenges remain.
Legislation that would restore video lottery terminal-generated purse funds that have been diverted to pay down a workers' compensation debt has been introduced in the West Virginia House of Delegates.
A New York Native American tribe has filed a lawsuit to block a recently approved casino that has everyone from upstate casinos to racetracks worried about losing business to the new gambling resort under construction.
Industry stakeholders will be among the speakers on the topic of decoupling when the Florida Thoroughbred Farm Managers holds its annual meeting Jan. 9 in Ocala.
Belmont Park would become home to a casino with 1,000 video lottery terminals under a plan put forward Dec. 29 by Nassau Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. But the plan is considered a longshot.
Officials at Finger Lakes in upstate New York said the facility risks closure as early as 2017 unless the state takes action to protect its finances in the wake of approval Dec. 21 of a full-blown casino about 25 miles away.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission took no action Dec. 17 on a request from the Massachusetts THA to be recognized as the legitimate representative of the region's owners and trainers rather than the New England HBPA.
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