Shutdown PA Racing

[jnunan4759]

Oh Boy, I might get in trouble here, but I'm just so angry.

The crux of the question is that the Gov. Wolf admin and their group say that costs are not being covered by intake. I agree. The numbers don't lie.

Contrary to popular belief, PA only takes a relativily low take out on wagers. Their take on a trifecta is 2.5%. The 30% takeout comes from a split between the track and horsemens association.

They recently have reduced dates and are paying purses beyond Belmont. However the handle is declining to sometimes around $100,000 per day. Players know it's a bad bet and it's been highlighted by HANA and people watch that. It's a rip-off and people know it.

The drug testing used to be done by the state and was done very well. However, big politico Ed Rendell decided it should be done by and outside labe at Univ of Penn. Conveniently, that was his alma mater. The costs soared and the state employees at the lab were laid off. In fact, the costs are goimg up with U Penn and since the takeout funds this, they are in the red.

The PA Breeders used to get a part of the handle, but haven't gotten a dime since Rendell did this. The law stipulates that expenses come off the top and employees and drug testing go into that.

Corbett, a Republican after Rendell, was worse to the industry. He confiscated millions of the PA RHDF (Race Horse Development Fund) and shifted it to the state general fund. Many farms that invested in PA breeding have left and hundreds of jobs have been lost.

I think what is going to happen with the Wolf crew is they are going to increase the tax on racing wagers. The result ? Less handle.

Parx, Penn National and DEl Park hate racing. They'd love it to die and I think they are doing everything legally they can to kill it. It costs more than a slot machine.

NYRA is profitable for 2 years now with all the baggage it's forced to carry. If you think horse racing is dead or dying, I beg to differ. I'm seeing more young people at the track all the time. I'm optimistic of the people, not of the operators.