also, news came out a couple days ago about a bill being proposed to illinois state lawmakers,,,copied below...
it's a confusing read to me but i read it as there are cost savings for hawthorne which would be picked up by the state if hawthorne was to move forward with opening the casino...this would indicate to me that hawthorne may have a partner, but the partner wants some legislation approved before buying in...
of course...no input or opinions or explanations on this news from the IHHA - tony spumoni is flat out useless and is stealing money taking a salary as IHHA leader and adding zero to their interests...
State Representatives Lisa Hernandez and Bob Rita today filed House Bill 5469 (
https://www.ilga.gov/Legislation/BillStatus?DocNum=5469...) to provide parity in the Illinois horse racing industry and support horsemen and their families, following the closure of several Chicagoland area racetracks in the past few years.
House Bill 5469 was filed today by Reps. Hernandez and Rita to provide parity in the horse racing industry as south suburban Hawthorne Race Course has been left to shoulder the vast majority of costs to continue operating the sport in Illinois, provide jobs to horsemen and the industry, and support horsemen and their families living in the backstretch.
Since 1891, Hawthorne Race Course has operated in Stickney as the oldest sporting venue in Illinois for the oldest sport in America. Following the closures of Maywood Park and Balmoral Park in 2016, Hawthorne took the reins to resume harness racing at significant cost and saved hundreds of horsemen businesses and thousands of horsemen jobs in the process.
In 2022, when Churchill Downs shocked the Illinois racing industry by announcing the unprecedented closure of Arlington Park, Hawthorne undertook the sole responsibility of underwriting the industry in northern Illinois. To this day, the industry requires the continued operation of Hawthorne, which is one of the only starting gates left in Illinois and the only track in the country that offers both thoroughbred and harness racing.
HB 5469 would put in place several key changes, including:
- Reduce the initial per position cost for a Cook County racetrack casino to be equal to the per-position cost of Illinois’ only other operating racetrack, Fairmount Park.
Provide parity by extending the time period for racetracks to pay full gaming licensing fees.
- Require the state to fund horsemen purses, as already required by law, as well as fund a one-time, three-year purse payment to retroactively compensate Hawthorne for purse payments already made.
- Extend the time period that racetracks can continue to receive certain benefits in Illinois law after a casino begins operation, and importantly, require tracks to improve backstretch conditions through capital improvements during this time.
- Equalize contribution requirements for racetracks to fund medical, dental and social services programs for horsemen employees working and living in racetrack backstretches.
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