By: Jack Hanessian
November 16, 2007
Kentucky Governor-elect Steve Beshear’s landslide victory Nov. 6 was troubling news for me as a longtime racetrack manager here at River Downs in Cincinnati. Watching Beshear win on a platform of letting the people decide whether to approve casino gambling at Kentucky horse racetracks – well, to be honest, it was depressing.
Kentucky is already moving forward, immediately following the election, toward obtaining expanded gambling supporting its racetracks, while Ohio continues to sit and do nothing.Sure, Kentucky has a more famous horse racing history than our Ohio industry, but the fact is, Ohio and Kentucky have both seen purse awards dwindle in comparison to those offered at tracks in surrounding states supported by casino gambling. The difference is that Kentucky is taking a big step forward to compete with its neighbors Indiana, Illinois and West Virginia in protecting the future of Kentucky horse racing.
Kentucky voters have seen the handwriting on the wall and elected a governor whose top priorities include getting a vote on the ballot letting the people decide whether casino gambling is right for their state. There may be challenges ahead, but I’m betting it’s a sure thing a year from now casino operators and track owners will be celebrating across the Ohio River. But they won’t be the only winners, because Kentucky will finally get to keep a share of the money its residents spend on gambling instead of losing it to other states.I’m thinking that even Kentuckians against expanded gambling will come to accept the reality that no state is an island. Just like Ohioans, Kentuckians can cross the state border and play slots in Indiana and Illinois and casino and even table games in major West Virginia communities.
See, Kentucky isn’t even surrounded by expanded gambling states as Ohio will be if Kentucky joins the club. But the state and its residents have the good sense to look around them and see racetrack casino gambling not only in West Virginia, but also in Pennsylvania and New York and coming soon to Indiana. The list goes on: Illinois, New Jersey and Maryland are coming closer every day to adding racetrack casino gambling to support their horses. There is speculation that even Virginia will do it. Detroit casinos already pack in patrons in Michigan and there’s a whole country to the north of us with a big horse racing industry supported by casino dollars.
In the midst of all this, I can’t help but hope that this is the wake-up call Ohio needs before it’s too late to prevent our state from being hemmed in by casinos, contributing to the sped-up demise of our horse racing industry. Because if a day comes when signs go up across the border in Kentucky reading, “Casino open,” you can guarantee there’ll be a sign hanging up at River Downs reading, “Racetrack closed.”
