Arlington Park Contract With Racing Group Not Signed By Deadline

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — The future of gambling at Arlington International Racecourse remains in question as a deadline to sign a contract between racecourse owners and horse owners and trainers recently passed. Illinois Thoroughbred Horseman's Association officials claim Arlington owner, Churchill Downs Inc., deceived Illinois elected officials and the state’s racing industry when it gained support to help win passage of a gaming expansion measure, which they say was done to boost the profits at Rivers Casino and which the company has a majority stake in, according to media reports and a statement released last week by the ITHA.

The horseman's association officials say Churchill Downs has since abandoned its longtime plan to develop a racino at Arlington Park, according to the ITHA statement.

The racecourse was required to sign a contract by Dec. 31 to be in compliance with the state's new gaming law. But that date has come and gone without any action, ITHA officials said.

In September 2019, racetrack owners announced they would not move forward with the casino license at Arlington International. The announcement came as a surprise as the company had lobbied for years for slot machines and table games at Arlington Park, according to an earlier Daily Herald report.

Company officials blamed a state law that requires racetracks to contribute a portion of its casino game profit to racing purses, the Daily Herald reports. The company, according to a statement, is thinking about moving its racing license to a different community in the Chicago area or elsewhere in Illinois.

"The loss of Arlington would be devastating to the community of Arlington Heights as it is the city's largest employer seasonally," according to a statement last year from Arlington Park.

Also in September, the Illinois Racing Board approved 68 live racing dates for next season during a meeting in Chicago, the Daily Herald reports. The vote came weeks after Churchill Downs Inc. announced it would not move forward with obtaining a casino license for the racetrack

Churchill Downs officials did say they were committed to keeping horse racing up and running through 2021 at Arlington, according to the article. But they could not say if they would reconsider applying for a casino-style gambling license.

The ITHA in its statement last week stated Churchill plans to allocate $130,000, on average, for overnight purses each day. That amount, according to the ITHA, would fail to attract quality stables to the track.

Overnight purses average approximately $180,000 per day in Indiana, for instance, and roughly $174,000 per day in Minnesota, according to the statement.

Arlington International Racecourse has been drawing horse racing enthusiasts to its racetrack since 1927.

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