Craig Fravel, president and general manager of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, has been named president and chief executive officer of the Breeders’ Cup, replacing Greg Avioli, who resigned in March to work for Frank Stronach's new racing company.
The owners of Ohio’s seven racetracks will be allowed to apply for licenses to operate slot machines under a plan offered by Gov. John Kasich on Wednesday.
Total all-sources wagering on the 13-race card at Belmont Park on Saturday was $81,245,326, a 9 percent increase over the all-sources figure for the Belmont Stakes day card last year, according to the New York Racing Association.
Wagering on U.S. Thoroughbred races continued to decline in May as racetracks slashed race dates to cope with a shrinking supply of horses, according to figures released on Saturday by Equibase.
The first day of a hearing being conducted by the New York State Racing and Wagering Board over whether Richard Dutrow Jr.'s training license should be revoked lasted 4 1/2 hours. The hearing will continue on Thursday.
The Illinois House of Representatives passed legislation late Monday afternoon that would greatly expand gaming in the state while bringing slot machines to Illinois racetracks.
Subsidies to Thoroughbred and Standardbred purses at Pennsylvania racetracks dropped 16.7 percent in 2010 compared with 2009 as a result of a legislative decision to divert a portion of the revenue from slot machines to the state’s general fund, according to a report released Thursday by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
Proposed legislation to expand gaming in Illinois radically, including the introduction of slot machines to racetracks, was voted down in a House of Representatives committee by a 6-5 margin late Wednesday, but could soon return for another committee vote.
The racing and gambling assets held by MI Developments produced net income of $10.8 million on revenues of $173.9 million during the first quarter of 2011.
The strategy by Churchill Downs to branch out into standalone casinos and expand its account-wagering business is bearing fruit at a time when the racing industry is struggling mightily to retain its customers.
