Florida Thoroughbred interests spent Friday lobbying at the state capitol as legislators began negotiating wide-ranging gambling bills that could include language allowing racetracks to drop their parimutuel operations while retaining their licenses for casino-type games, according to state officials.
Wagering on U.S. races in January was up 2.2 percent over betting on U.S. races in January 2015, while the number of races held during the month fell 6.1 percent, according to figures released Thursday by Equibase.
Penn National Gaming Inc., the operator of 27 gambling facilities in the U.S. and Canada, had revenue of $2.84 billion in 2015, according to the company, but it has yet to release any net income figures for the year due to a need to restate its financial statements.
A Wednesday hearing in a suit that the Texas Horsemen’s Partnership has brought against the Texas comptroller concerning funding of the Texas Racing Commission has been postponed.Texas hearing date postponed
A single ticket had all six winners in a sequence of races at Portland Meadows on Monday called the Rainbow Jackpot 6, requiring the track to put up tens of thousands of dollars to satisfy the betting pool's $100,000 guarantee.
Two Kentucky state senators have introduced a bill that would put a constitutional amendment on the ballot calling for casinos in Kentucky, but the bill has little to no chance of passing, according to lobbyists.
W. B. Rogers Beasley, the vice president of racing at Keeneland since 2001 and the company’s former director of sales, will retire effective June 30 after 34 years at the company.
Jay Hickey, the president of the American Horse Council since 1993, announced his retirement on Tuesday, effective June 30, the AHC said.
Parx Racing has moved back the beginning of its 2016 meet from Feb. 13 to Feb. 20 because the installation of a new safety rail has taken longer than expected and delayed the reopening of the track for training.
The five richest stakes for Ohio-breds will be contested at Mahoning Valley Race Course near Youngstown in 2016. For the first time, the Best of Ohio series in the fall will be held at Mahoning Valley. The five Best of Ohio stakes, worth $150,000 apiece, will be contested on Saturday, Oct. 29.
