nebraska racing and gaming commission | Horse Racing Free Tips

Tom Sage Executive Director Of The Nebraska Racing And Gaming Commission To Retire

Tom Sage, the executive director of the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission, will retire Mar. 12, the organization said in a statement which was first reported on Friday by the Lincoln Journal Star.

As the executive director of the Nebraska Racing Commission since 2008, Sage added oversight of casino gambling after voters approved a petition to allow casinos at the state's horse racing tracks in November 2020. He oversaw a staff that began with a single member to now having over two dozen employees.

Sage's career in horse racing began as a security officer in 1988 at Omaha's Ak-Sar-Ben Racetrack. He graduated in 1991 from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a B.S. in criminal justice and started as an investigator for the Nebraska Racing Commission in 1993.

After graduating in 1995 from the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center, Sage became the commission's director of investigations in 2003. He was an instrumental board member for the Organization of Racing Investigators and currently is serving out his term as the chairman of the board of the Association of Racing Commissioners International.

In the Lincoln Journal Star article, Nebraska commissioner Tony Fulton called Sage a “good man” who is hard-working and diligent, and took on the task of regulating casino gambling in the state with vigor.

“This has been a very heavy lift, and he's done an admirable job,” Fulton said.

The commission also voted Friday to make Casey Ricketts, its current director of compliance, the interim executive director.

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Tom Sage Again Named Chairman of ARCI

The Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission's executive director, Tom Sage, has been appointed the repeat chairman of the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI). Sage first served as chairman in 2020. The ARCI chairs generally serve one-year terms, but Sage was awarded a subsequent term due to the effects of COVID-19 on the industry and returns again for the coming year. The current outgoing ARCI chair is Louisiana Racing Commission executive director Charles Gardiner III.

The new chair-elect is Doug Moore, who was appointed to the Washington Horse Racing Commission's board after retiring as its executive director. Anthony Salerno of the Pennsylvania Racing Commission was named treasurer.

In his address, Sage said: “Our U.S. members face enormous problems caused by the uncertainty of the implementation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act [HISA] and its programs… There's an expectation in some parts of the industry that all regulatory turmoil and new costs will result in fewer breakdowns, fewer equine deaths, and apprehend more criminals. We'll see. We call it like it is, realizing not everyone will like what we say. To us, integrity counts more than narrative. Our agenda remains simple: To do the right thing.”

ARCI is the umbrella organization representing governmental regulators of horse and greyhound racing.

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All Six Nebraska Racetracks To Seek Casinos After Commission’s Initial Rules Approval

This Friday, the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission voted to approve rules for casinos at the state's horse racing tracks, according to the Lincoln Journal-Star. The rules must be signed off on by the state attorney general and governor, then will go to the Secretary of State before becoming effective.

“This is kind of a very historic moment today in the history of Nebraska racing,” Dennis Lee, chairman of the Nebraska commission, said at Friday's meeting.

The Journal-Star reports that all six of the state's racetracks—located in Lincoln, Omaha, South Sioux City, Columbus, Grand Island and Hastings—will seek to add casinos.

Nebraskan voters first approved a constitutional amendment allowing casinos at the racetracks in November of 2020. No decision has been made about sports betting in the state.

Read more at the Lincoln Journal-Star.

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Nebraska HBPA Opposes Proposals For New Racetracks

After leading the fight to bring casino gambling to the state of Nebraska, the Nebraska Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association spoke out against proposals for new racetracks at last Friday's meeting of the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission meeting, reports the Omaha World Herald.

Specifically, the NHBPA argued that proposals to add tracks in Bellevue and York would dilute the market and weaken existing tracks.

“Building up casinos should build up the racing industry, not line the pockets of others,” said Garald Wollesen, president of the NHBPA.

Last year, Nebraska voters passed a constitutional amendment allowed casino gambling at horse racing tracks, as well as laws regulating the casinos and directing most of the tax revenue to property tax relief. At that time, Nebraska had six racetracks: Grand Island, Omaha, Lincoln, South Sioux City, Columbus, and Hastings.

The five new tracks proposed would be located in Bellevue, York, Norfolk, North Platte, and Scottsbluff.

No decisions were made at Friday's meeting, but Commission Chairman Dennis Lee promised separate hearings for each of the five new racetrack proposals.