Update regarding potential suspension of PA racing
October 29, 2015,from the PA Department of Agriculture
Harrisburg, PA — Last week, state officials announced that the financial health of the Pennsylvania Racing Fund was declining and had reached a point where it could no longer sustain or protect the integrity of the racing industry. Officials noted without a fix in place, racing may have to be suspended. A one-week timeline was instituted for all vested stakeholders to come to consensus on a solution to address the structural deficit.
This evening (Oct. 29), the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture provided the following update regarding the matter:
“Considerable progress has been made over the course of the last week, in particular, the last 24 hours,” said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “We appreciate the engagement of all the parties — everyone from the track operators, the horsemen, and members of the General Assembly. While there is agreement on a vast number of the issues, more work remains on a few important, final points. We’ve asked all of the parties to reconvene (Friday) to further discuss these remaining issues. We remain optimistic.”
- Pennsylvania racing may be shut down next week (Thursday, October 22, 2015)
The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that due to a decrease in wagering and the ongoing budget stalemate, Gov. Wolf may halt horse racing statewide as soon as next week.
- Horse racing, PA officials work to solve deficit (Saturday, October 24, 2015)
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting that a meeting between officials with the state Department of Agriculture and representatives of horse racing in Pennsylvania made “significant progress” Friday toward solving a budget shortfall and avoiding a threatened shutdown of the industry.
- PA horse racing budget talks to resume Tuesday (Monday, October 26, 2015)
Negotiations are set to resume Tuesday over how to keep horse racing open for business in Pennsylvania, a challenge that came in the wake of Gov. Wolf’s threat last week to shutter race tracks if the industry fails to shoulder the costs of regulation.
- Wolf administration cites continued progress in horse, harness racing negotiations (Friday, November 13, 2015)
Talks between the Wolf administration and leaders of the General Assembly continued to yield progress this week on how to correct a long-standing structural deficit in the State Racing Fund, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said today.