Stupid W Va Politicians!

This shows how casinos simply "tolerate" racing. If they close the tracks, then the casinos should also be closed!! Especially in remote places like Charlestown where many depend on their jobs because of year long racing, The comments by Al Britton really show Penn Nat Gaming's views. Will they be reducing dates at Penn Nat also? Oh - probably not since Penn Nat Gaming is located there. Racinos may giveth - but they also taketh away.

Horsemen concerned over future of racing at Hollywood Casino
By Rachel Molenda

CHARLES TOWN - A portion of the West Virginia code relating to video lottery games describes horse and dog racing facilities as valuable tourism resources for the state that need to be enhanced. But, a bill introduced Wednesday has area horsemen feeling as if that may no longer be true.

SB455, if passed, would scale back not only the number of races per year at the state's four racetracks, but also decrease purse values, a move which horsemen say make races in West Virginia less attractive to tourists and less lucrative for individuals, entities and communities involved.

"A bill like this is a virtual death knell for the horse racing industry here in Jefferson County," said Randy Funkhouser, president of the Charles Town Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association.

A 2011 study of the economic impact of Charles Town's thoroughbred horse racing on Jefferson County showed that owners, breeders and trainers felt business would be negatively affected by a decrease in the number of racing days. The study, conducted by WVU, also said racing created $63.1 million in business volume for Jefferson County in 2010.

Al Britton, general manager of Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, said it is not the intent of the casino to phase out racing. In recent years, casinos around the state have faced a downturn in revenue due to competition in neighboring states, according to a report by the Associated Press.

"The bill primarily is just meant to allow the industry to compete and make some changes based on where we are now in terms of the current environment and competitive landscape," Britton said.

Funkhouser expressed concern not only with increasing costs for horsemen, but also with the potential negative economic impact such legislation might produce for Jefferson County. He said decreasing races would make it difficult for industries intertwined with racing, such as agriculture and hospitality, to survive.

"The tracks are going to be idle," Funkhouser said. "The businesses are going to suffer because nobody's going to be here."

Sen. Herb Snyder, D-Jefferson, serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee - where SB455 has been referred - and said the legislation is a response to SB115, which gives more gains to the horsemen and greyhound breeders. Snyder said he is "99.9 percent sure" neither bill will be taken up for a vote during this legislative session.

"These are voluminous bills with a tremendous amount of issues that just landed here without forewarning or debate before the legislature," Snyder said.

While the longtime senator reiterated his belief that the bills would go nowhere this session, he did not discount the fact that declining revenues are an important issue for the state.

"Certainly the whole issue of racing and loss of revenue at the tracks is something that needs to be debated, but it's going to take longer than the six weeks we have here to do it," Snyder said.

www.journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/591847/Horsemen-concerned-over-future-of-racing-at-Hollywood-Casino.html