Senate Approves Horse Racing Industry Measure

The Senate on Thursday, Dec. 10 approved an amended bill that makes substantial regulatory changes necessary to protect and bolster Pennsylvania’s horse racing industry, according to Senator Elder Vogel.

House Bill 941 now includes an amendment by Senator Vogel that includes a mechanism to shift essential funds into the State Racing Fund and protect the horse racing industry in Pennsylvania. The bill returns to the House of Representative for concurrence on the amendment.

The State Racing Fund is depleted and without new money horse racing at Pennsylvania’s six tracks could be suspended. Senator Vogel’s amendment makes a number of substantial and essential changes to the state’s oversight of the horse racing industry.

If enacted, the bill would result in a surplus of $2.7 million for the State Racing Fund by 2017-18, Senator Vogel said.

“There has been a tremendous amount of interest and input from a number of parties involved in the racing industry and from the race horse development business. It had been a long and involved process as we worked to fine tune this proposal,” Senator Vogel said. “The bottom line is that we face the real possibility of losing a multimillion dollar industry. It was imperative that we take care of the Racing Fund’s current financial instability, but provide for the long-term protection of the racing industry in Pennsylvania.”