Harrisburg, PA — The Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission at its Tuesday (July 26) meeting laid the groundwork for both statewide and industry organization-based marketing plans for the 2022-23 fiscal year.

As part of a 2016 racing reform law, horsemen and breeders agreed to shift 1 percent of purse revenue generated by casino slot machines to create a marketing fund. Tom Chuckas, who oversees the PHRC Thoroughbred Bureau, said a little more than $2 million is available for the 2022-23 cycle.

After $100,000 is awarded to the Pennsylvania harness racing fair circuit and $20,000 to the PHRC, the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Association gets half and the six organizations that make up the Pennsylvania Equine Coalition get the other half based on gross slots revenue at their racetracks. The PHRA, which handles the statewide marketing campaign and contracts with various companies on research, will receive roughly $980,000.

On the Standardbred side, the Meadows Standardbred Owners Association will be awarded $108,000; the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association is slated for $125,000 for Mohegan Sun Pocono and $99,000 for Harrah’s Philadelphia; and the Pennsylvania Standardbred Breeders Association will receive $66,000.

PHRA representatives told the Commission they plan to continue to build on previous marketing programs and increase the focus on catering to existing fans and encouraging potential fans to live racing events and related activities during racing programs. Marketing plans for the organizations will be discussed at future meetings.

In an update on out-of-competition testing for both Standardbred and Thoroughbred racing, Chuckas said that through the first six months of 2022, there have been 695 tests, substantially more than in 2021. The majority were at the three Thoroughbred tracks, with 165 at Pocono and a few nearby training centers, and 116 at Hollywood Casino at the Meadows, the only harness track in the state with a barn area.

PHRC chairman Russell Redding, who heads the state Department of Agriculture, said the commission and industry have made progress on the integrity and equine welfare fronts. He said transparency, accountability, setting and monitoring expectations, and acknowledging public perception all tie in with the marketing plan for the sport in the state.