by John Pawlak, the U.S. Trotting Association

Columbus, OH — Indiana lawmakers passed a two-year budget that will reduce the amount of casino subsidies going to the Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing industries by approximately $3 million, or five percent lower than the amount distributed in 2010.

Lawmakers had initially proposed a more than 50 percent reduction in the subsidies from casino revenue.

The racing industry benefited from a hearing that was recently conducted by the Senate Appropriations Committee, whose chairman Sen. Luke Kenley (R-Noblesville) has been sympathetic to the racing and breeding industries in the past.

About a dozen horsemen and regulators testified before the committee, noting that Indiana’s program has been an unquestioned success in spurring growth in the equine industry.

The staff of the Indiana Horse Racing Commission testified that the number of registered Thoroughbreds, Standardbreds and Quarter Horses in the state had increased over the last three years, and testimony was given by Thoroughbred horsemen who talked about a study completed last fall by Purdue University at Calumet that said horse racing has a $1 billion annual economic impact in Indiana, including 9,000 jobs and $69 million in state and local taxes generated.

“We just need to stay the course,” Kenley was quoted as saying in news reports on the hearing. “We need to keep our promise,” he said referring to the racino subsidies originally passed four years ago that were designed to benefit and cause growth in the industry.