Arlington, Hawthorne Reach Dates Agreement

The two remaining Chicago-area tracks, for the second straight year, have submitted coordinated dates requests for the coming year to the Illinois Racing Board.

 

The agreement between Arlington International Racecourse and Hawthorne Race Course eliminates any potential friction within the industry over the schedule—a plus coming just a day after Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner spoke positively of gaming expansion legislation seen as a lifesaver for the industry.

 

The dates requests mirror last year's. Hawthorne's Thoroughbred season would run March 3-April 1 and Oct. 1-Dec. 31, for a total of 59 programs. Arlington would run 71 programs April 30-Sept. 30, while Hawthorne converts to the Chicago area's only remaining harness meeting—80 night programs May 11-Sept. 24.

 

Arlington would take the "dark host time" revenue—essentially proceeds from simulcast wagering—from Jan. 1-March 2.

 

Fairmount Park, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, asked for 150 dates throughout the year.

 

Dates will be awarded at the IRB's September meeting.

 

A similar agreement last year was facilitated by the collapse of Balmoral Park and Maywood Park—the last all-harness facilities in the area. When the IRB declined to grant dates to Balmoral and Maywood, Arlington and Hawthorne worked out current schedule.

 

The agreement is important politically, as racing interests continue to push for gaming expansion legislation that would authorize casinos at the tracks. Casino revenue would provide a badly needed boost to Illinois purses, reversing a years-long downward spiral. Tracks receive some form of alternative revenue—slots, casinos or other—in almost all surrounding racing jurisdictions.

 

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, desperate for new revenue despite recent massive tax hikes, has been pushing for a Loop-area gaming palace for years. Given the state's politics, it's unlikely Emanuel would get a casino without the tracks and a few other cities tagging along.

 

"I'm not a fan of gaming myself," Rauner said this week. "I think it has negatives. That said, I'm a believer in local control. A lot of people like to gamble. It's here. Chicago has a casino. It's in Gary. Indiana gets the benefit. We don't. I'm open to options to expand if people want to expand. If some communities want to have it, I'm open to different options."

 

Those comments came as music to the ears of racing interests, who twice passed gaming expansion bills during the previous administration only to see then-Gov. Patrick Quinn veto them.

 

Speaking of the coordinated dates request and looking to the future, Arlington general manager Tony Petrillo said July 29, "We are happy to be in agreement and forging toward a gaming bill."

 

Two hearings on gaming expansion are scheduled in the coming week, but it's unlikely any action will be taken before the November election.