Pennsylvania Governor Seeking to Raid Slots Money That Goes to State Tracks

[Wandering Eyes]

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf submitted his 2020-2021 budget Tuesday, which called for a massive cut in the amount of money that goes to horse racing from slots proceeds. Wolf is seeking to take $204 million away from the fund. The average amount paid out by the fund is $228 million and it provides the majority of the money used to pay purses.

It is believed that Wolf wants to use the money to deal with asbestos problems in the Philadelphia public schools, which will cost about $1 billion.

Upon receiving news of Wolf’s proposal, leaders in the state’s breeding and racing industries said the raid would end horse racing in the state.

“If approved by the legislature, this raid would result in the end of horse racing in Pennsylvania by eviscerating the primary funding source for the purses and breeder incentives that serve as the lifeblood of the industry,” said Pete Peterson, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Equine Coalition, an organization representing the six Thoroughbred and Standardbred horsemen and breeder associations in the state. “This scheme would destroy an industry that provides a $1.6-billion economic impact and supports an estimated 16,000 to 23,000 jobs in the agriculture, manufacturing, construction, retail and hospitality industries here in Pennsylvania.

“Racehorse owners and breeders whose operations preserve 100,000 acres of open space in Pennsylvania would be put out of business,” continued Peterson. “Hundreds of farmers who preserve tens of thousands of additional acres growing crops such as straw for bedding and alfalfa and other feed products for horsemen–their largest and highest paying customers–would face financial ruin. This anti-agriculture budget could not come at a worse time for many Pennsylvania farmers who are already struggling financially, as evidenced by a 20% increase in farm bankruptcies in 2019.”

Wolf’s budget cannot be enacted until it is approved by the House and Senate.

The TDN will update this story later in the day.

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