The New York State Gaming Commission approved a plan Wednesday that would increase workman’s compensation insurance rates for New York horsemen in 2016 less than initially feared. Moreover, if certain legislation gets passed this year, the workman’s compensation rates that horsemen would pay to cover exercise riders and jockeys in 2016 would be virtually identical to 2015 rates.

The New York Racing Association will broadcast live racing from Belmont Park and Saratoga on a daily basis on the Madison Square Garden Networks in 2016.

Under a multiyear agreement announced Thursday in a joint press release, MSG Plus will air two hours (4-6 p.m. Eastern) of racing from Belmont Park and 2 1/2 hours (4-6:30 p.m.) from Saratoga from May 18 through Oct. 2. The only days when NYRA’s races will not air on MSG Plus is when there is a national television commitment such as Belmont Stakes Day.

Remington Park reported an increase in handle and purses during its 67-date meet that closed Dec. 13. The track handled an average of $932,470 on its live races from all sources, up 9.8 percent over the corresponding season in 2014.

Purses averaged a meet-record $252,176, up from last year’s $226,576.

Remington, which also operates an ontrack casino, features free admission.

The horse of the meet was Shotgun Kowboy, the winner of the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby.

Charles Town handled a track-record $111,664 per race in 2015, up 6.82 percent from 2014, according to track officials. Per-race wagering topped the previous record of $110,247 set in 2012.

Both ontrack and offtrack handle were up more than 6.5 percent in 2015. Charles Town ran 1,447 races in 2015.

Charles Town set its single-card record April 18, when Charles Town Classic Day wagering reached $4.84 million. More than $2.4 million was bet on the Charles Town Classic alone.

Nassau County Off-Track Betting has selected Belmont Park as a location to place 1,000 video lottery terminals, the company announced Tuesday, but the project still faces several hurdles before it becomes a reality.

In a statement Tuesday, Nassau County OTB officials said:

“After exhaustive study and review, including the input of nationally recognized consultants to the gaming industry, Nassau Regional Off-Track Betting (NROTB) strongly believes that Belmont Park is the best possible site for the location of a Video Lottery Terminal (VLT) facility.

Leonard Lavin, the beauty-supplies magnate whose Glen Hill Farm has bred more than 80 stakes winners, has been selected to receive the Eclipse Award of Merit, an honor created in 1976 to recognize a “lifetime of outstanding achievement” in racing.

Lavin, 96, is the 40th individual to be selected for the Award of Merit, considered by many to be the highest honor in racing. He will receive the award Jan. 16 at the Eclipse Awards dinner at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Beginning Friday, the New York Racing Association no longer will air its nightly 30-minute recap show or the “National Racing Report” on the Madison Square Garden network.

NYRA’s contract with MSG to air the show, known as “Insider,” expires Thursday, and NYRA plans to put its resources into a live show on MSG-Plus beginning sometime during the Belmont spring-summer meet, according to David O’Rourke, NYRA’s vice president and chief revenue officer.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky attorney general’s office has issued an opinion stating that the state racing commission cannot delegate rule-making authority to private companies like racetracks, putting in jeopardy a plan by Keeneland to write races in which the race-day administration of the regulated medication Lasix would be prohibited.

American Pharoah’s sweep of the three Triple Crown races this year was voted the top sports story of the year by the Associated Press, the organization announced last week.

American Pharoah in 2015 became the first horse to win the Triple Crown in 37 years, following several recent near misses. The feat beat out the “Deflategate” controversy surrounding New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and the wide-ranging indictment of top FIFA soccer officials on corruption charges.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Santa Anita’s refurbished turf course was well-received by jockeys on the opening weekend of the winter-spring meeting although some expressed concern how the course will respond to use in coming months.

The turf course underwent significant maintenance following the conclusion of the autumn meeting in late October. The course was cut to a low level, or scalped, and essentially re-grown in the weeks leading to the start of the winter-spring meeting on Saturday.