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Slot Machines at the Track

Nov 21, 2001

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Business?»News Wednesday, November 21, 2001

Race tracks urged to get together on slot machine plan
County legislators outline approach to gaining approval
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By Kirsten Haukebo
The Courier-Journal

Kentucky race tracks need to come together soon -- with a detailed proposal -- if they want slot machines considered during the upcoming legislative session, according to several Jefferson County legislators who attended a meeting with the horse industry last night at Churchill Downs.

''I think they're being overly cautious'' by not laying out such a plan, said Rep. Tom Burch, D-Louisville, a member of the House Licensing and Occupations Committee, which considers racing-related bills.

He said the tracks need to ''talk straight and get a sponsor, a strong advocate'' -- preferably from a rural area, where there's likely to be the most resistance to expanding gambling in Kentucky.

''If I see anything, it's that they're not lined up on what they want,'' Burch said. ''First they say they need the money, then they say they're going to put $127 million into Churchill Downs. You know, so what am I supposed to think?''

When, or if, the industry unites behind a plan, its message ''has to be driven by the common good. What is going to benefit the commonwealth of Kentucky,'' said Rep. Larry Clark, D-Louisville.

Churchill Downs and other tracks have tried for years to get new forms of gambling to help them compete against Indiana's riverboat casinos. In recent weeks, several prominent lawmakers have suggested that bringing video lottery terminals, a type of electronic slot machine, to Kentucky tracks could help them compete and also raise money for the state.

Taxes generated by slots could ease the state's budget shortfall, Clark said, but the money also might go to health and human services, environmental issues such as solid waste, or helping rural counties with roads and water.

Rep. Bob Heleringer, R-Louisville, who is on the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee, said he'd like to see the industry unify in the next ''two to three weeks'' so lawmakers have time to consider the implications of any proposal.

''I don't think the political climate is going to get any better than it is now,'' said Heleringer, who has drafted a bill allowing slots at race tracks but is waiting for support from the racing industry before filing it.

As they have done for months, Churchill Downs, Turfway Park and the state's harness tracks discussed the competition they're facing, from the Indiana casinos to the recent legalization of slot machines at several New York race tracks.

''I can't underscore enough how significant that is to this industry,'' Churchill president Alex Waldrop said. ''There are three major racing states in this country -- New York, California and Kentucky. New York has moved decisively in a direction that makes us take notice.''

He said revenue from slots in New York is expected to push purses at the state's premier track, Saratoga Race Course, to $727,000 a day, eclipsing even Keeneland Race Course in Lex-ington.

Waldrop said he's still working to unify all segments of the notoriously fractious industry.

''I don't have a plan. I ask you to be patient until we come together as an industry,'' he said.


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