On January 24, Nicole and I (with other HW volunteers) lobbied for the subsidy bill at the NYS Capitol. We visited all 213 legislative offices, dropping off educational materials (below) and engaging in many constructive conversations. Wednesday, Governor Hochul’s budget…
In an effort to secure a nearly-half-billion-dollar bond package from the state to rebuild Belmont Park – a debt that would be repaid with already-existing subsidies – the New York Racing Association (NYRA) has launched a new PR campaign, complete…
Tomorrow, NY governor Kathy Hochul will deliver her “State of the State” at the Capitol in Albany. HW, along with other coalition members, will be there to educate lawmakers on the massive subsidization – $230 million per year – propping…
The opening line from an article in Horse Racing Nation Thursday: “The latest Equibase report on economic indicators in Thoroughbred racing shows declines in wagering on U.S. races last year and gains in U.S. purses.” wagering down, purses up In…
The industry’s spin department was in full swing Thursday with a HarnessLink article on Batavia Downs’ (NY) recently-concluded meet. With the headline “Batavia Downs Fared Well in 2022,” you might think the track somehow managed to defy the national reality…
When Churchill Downs Inc. pulled the plug on Arlington Park in 2021, it left the whole of Illinois, once a major racing player, with but two tracks (there are three separate operations: Hawthorne hosts both flat and harness). But for…
A week ago, I wrote this about Illinois racing: Illinois is a subsidy state, meaning the three remaining tracks there subsist mostly on corporate welfare. This non-racing-related gaming revenue also allows for first-last payouts. Everybody wins – except, of course,…
Illinois is a subsidy state, meaning the three remaining tracks there subsist mostly on corporate welfare. This non-racing-related gaming revenue also allows for first-last payouts. Everybody wins. Except, of course, the horses. With that in mind, consider the following from…
Tuesday, Prop 26, a sports-betting measure that would have provided a massive subsidy to California horseracing, went down in flames – rejected by some 70% of voters. This was a huge victory, especially with the record-setting amount of money spent…
Long in decline, NY’s harness-racing industry is currently kept afloat by state subsidies. In fact, if not for this welfare, all seven harness tracks would have closed years ago. (The seven harness tracks and Finger Lakes receive roughly $100 million…
