Letter To The Editor: A Tale Of Two Governors, With DeSantis Prioritizing Florida Horse Racing And Arizona’s Ducey Thumbing His Nose At It

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has made clear there won't be a tribal gaming deal in his state unless the needs of the state's horse racing industry have been properly addressed.

Efforts to expand gaming in Nebraska saw legislators urge pro-gaming advocates to first talk to the state's horsemen about responsible ways to expand.

And then there's Arizona.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey not only isn't giving the time of day to our state's horsemen, he's rebuffing requests to just pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. And he's doing it while pushing for a gaming expansion bill that would deliver just a fraction of what other states receive in gaming revenues – all while allowing the horse racing industry to remain dying on life support.

Gov. Ducey wants to allow sports teams to modernize their revenue stream by legalizing sports betting across the state and add sports books at taxpayer-funded sports stadiums.

And he wants Arizona tribes to be able to modernize the gaming options offered at their casinos – which they want more of, of course.

Meanwhile, Arizona is the only state in the country that still requires advance deposit wagering bets to be placed on a landline phone. But Gov. Ducey doesn't want us to be able to modernize.

The state's horsemen simply want to modernize wagering, adding historical horse racing machines at tracks and OTBs, to provide the revenue needed to survive. There are no requests for a government hand-out or to have facilities subsidized by taxpayers. We want to help ourselves with a sustainable business model at existing locations, under existing pari-mutuel laws – which have existed in Arizona for decades.

Those pari-mutuel laws just need modernizing.

Arizona state Sen. David Gowan has sponsored a bill to do just that and seems to have the support of his legislative colleagues.

But not Gov. Ducey.

We've seen what modernizing wagering and adding HHR can do for a state – Virginia is thriving, bringing that state more than $100 million in new revenues, while it has doubled the purses in Kentucky.

Meanwhile, in Arizona, legislators worry that Gov. Ducey is asking sports books for just a fraction of the $10 million a license costs in other states. They also worry that the 5% fees charged to tribal gaming aren't close to the 20% paid by tribes to other states.

Sen. Gowan's Senate Bill 1794 would bring the state more than $100 million in new tax revenues, lead to more than $300 million in capital investments, including a new track at Arizona Downs, and see daily purses increase from $80,000 to $300,000.

And it couldn't come at a more dire time. In Arizona, handle is down $55 million a year, purses are down $5 million a year, live race attendance is down 45%, Turf Paradise is for sale and Arizona Downs has struggled to keep the lights on.

And yet as Gov. Ducey takes steps to modernize gaming in Arizona, he won't even allow the state's horse racing industry to have a seat at the table, as he ushers in plans to allow the state's billionaire sports team owners to not just modernize their operations, but to thrive.

It all called to mind something DeSantis said last week.

“If it's something that benefits the state, we obviously have an obligation to work to do that,” he said when asked about tribal compact negotiations there and the importance of ensuring the state's horse racing industry is able to survive.

Why is that?

“Ultimately, I don't represent the Seminoles,” he said. “I represent Florida businesses and employees. We want to make sure those folks do well under whatever arrangement may be reached between the State of Florida and the Nation of the Seminole Indian Tribe.”

Arizona residents and small business owners should only be so lucky.

– Bob Hutton, President of the Arizona Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association, and Leroy Gessman, Executive Director of the AHBPA

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Arizona Mayor: ‘It Is Time For The Legislature To Act And Support The Horse Racing Industry’

Kell Palguta, Mayor of Prescott Valley, Ariz., released the following statement Friday on behalf of Save Arizona Horse Racing:

As mayor of Prescott Valley, I am proud of our thriving community. We have a diverse community with residents from across the nation choosing to relocate in our area. From outdoor recreation, to exploring local shops, to enjoying a day at Arizona Downs, we have something for everyone.

Tourism is the lifeblood of our community. With great year-round weather and entertainment, we as a community value all of our assets that help businesses and families thrive. One of those important attractions is Arizona Downs, one of the state's go-to racetracks for summer events.

Horse racing has been an important industry to Arizona since statehood, representing our state's ranching and old west roots. For rural Arizona, ranching, breeding and farming is embedded in our community and a local economic driver.

Arizona Downs is part of our state's history, and as we continue to grow and thrive, we must also modernize the industries that are at our core. For the past decade, Arizona's horse racing industry has suffered due to increased competition from other states. As efforts to bolster the local horse racing industry has increased across the nation, Arizona has lagged behind.

Since 2004, Arizona horse tracks have seen live race attendance drop 45% and parimutuel handles drop $55 million a year. This decline in revenue impacts every small business owner and employee that is involved in race days. Arizona has a lot to offer, and can easily become a national destination for horse racing.

The Arizona Legislature is currently considering Senate Bill 1794 which will support Arizona horse racing and generate more than $100 million in new state tax revenues. By implementing Historic Horse Racing in the state, purses will increase from $80,000 to $300,000, attracting horses and revenues from California. It will also attract $300 million in capital investments and help create nearly 4,000 new jobs.

It's time for the legislature to act and support the horse racing industry. For far too long the needs of rural Arizona have been ignored. Now, we have a real opportunity to help rural small business owners and create additional revenue for the state. This is a win-win for all of Arizona; let's make Historic Horse Racing a reality.

Save Arizona Horse Racing is focused on implementing innovative solutions to create additional revenue and save this historic industry in Arizona. Learn more: www.savearizonahorseracing.com

The post Arizona Mayor: ‘It Is Time For The Legislature To Act And Support The Horse Racing Industry’ appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Canadian Sports Betting Bill Amended To Exempt Horse Racing From Fixed Odds Wagers

With a unanimous vote, the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights on Thursday amended Private Member's Bill C-218 to offer protection to the horse racing industry in Canada. Under the new proposed legislation, fixed odds wagering on horse racing would not be permitted.

“This is great news for the horse racing industry and the tens of thousands of jobs it supports across Canada,” said Jim Lawson, CEO, Woodbine Entertainment. “On behalf of the industry, thank you to the Standing Committee for listening to our perspective and recognizing the need to protect horse racing from unintended consequences caused by the legalization of sports betting.”

PMB C-218 was introduced by MP Kevin Waugh to legalize Single-Event Sports Betting in Canada.  The horse racing industry supports the principle of the Bill but led a significant cross-party advocacy effort to ensure Committee members understood the unintended consequences to the industry if protections were not included. As part of those efforts, horse racing hall of fame jockey Sandy Hawley and representatives from the Central Ontario Standardbred Association, Horsemen's Benevolent Protective Association of Ontario, Racetracks of Canada, Quebec Jockey Club and Woodbine Entertainment appeared as witnesses over the past several weeks as the Standing Committee studied the proposed Bill.

The Bill will now proceed to Third Reading in the House and, if passed, head to the Senate for review.

“As the legislation process continues, our industry will remain active to ensure the protections remain in the Bill through the Senate process,” Lawson added. “We also recognize that with this potential emergence of sports betting in the near future, our industry will face increased competition in the legal wagering market and must pursue additional sources of revenue to further protect our industry.”

As an established leader and trusted Canadian organization in regulated single-event sports betting in Canada, Woodbine Entertainment will continue to advocate for an opportunity to participate in sports betting in a meaningful way.

“We look forward to continuing to engage with government and other stakeholders to offer our expertise in regulated sports wagering as Canada prepares for this new and emerging sector,” Lawson said.  ““The opportunity for us to offer our leadership in this sector has the potential for sports betting to be a very positive development for the horse racing industry across the country.”

In addition to its efforts in sports betting, Woodbine Entertainment will continue to advocate for the legalization of Historical Horse Racing on behalf of the industry.

The post Canadian Sports Betting Bill Amended To Exempt Horse Racing From Fixed Odds Wagers appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Online Gaming Launches in Oregon

A new online gaming experience powered by historical horse racing has launched in Oregon through luckii.com. Wagers can be as low as 20 cents a spin. The results are determined by a database of actual horse races previously run at hundreds of tracks around the country.

Luckii is licensed by the Oregon Racing Commission as an Advanced Deposit Wagering platform. A portion of proceeds from all Luckii games are provided to the Oregon horse racing industry, delivering much-needed revenues to support local jobs and communities in Oregon.

Luckii's slot-style games follow pari-mutuel rules and players can get handicapping insights before wagering or they can simply spin for the opportunity to win a huge jackpot. Winnings are instant and can be easily withdrawn. The platform features secure payment options, via credit, debit or bank transfer, with industry-leading safety and fraud prevention tools, as well as an Oregon-based customer service team.

The post Online Gaming Launches in Oregon appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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