Category: General

Call Your Legislators Opposing Senate Bill 197 and House Bill 298

The Ohio Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives have introduced separate
bills each of which would legalize iGaming (internet gaming) through Ohio’s 4
casinos and 7 racinos without any share of the profits going to horsemen.

Please contact your Senator and member of the House and let them know you oppose
SB 197 and HB 298 UNLESS amendments are made to provide a percentage of iGaming
revenue to Ohio’s horsemen.

Below are talking points which can be used in conversation with your
legislators:

SB 197 talking points
We have three concerns with the bill
1) The bill upsets the balance wisely created when Video Lottery Terminals
(VLTs) were legalized in 2013. VLTs are an essential source of funding for the
horse racing industry.
a. Increased purses from approximately $28 million in 2012 to almost $140
million in 2023
b. Increased horse racing’s economic impact to $2.7 billion
c. Supported foal breeding increase. The number of Ohio thoroughbred foals more
than doubled from 2012 through 2023.

2) The bill will result in hundreds or thousands of lost jobs.
a. SB 197 would cost Ohio’s racinos an estimated 18.5% of their revenue
b. Result in the loss of over 2,000 jobs

3) The bill would eliminate the racing commission
a. Racing commission is essential for industry prosperity and safety for over
100 years

HB 298 talking points
We have two concerns with the bill

1) The bill upsets the balance wisely created when Video Lottery Terminals
(VLTs) were legalized in 2013. VLTs are an essential source of funding for the
horse racing industry.
a. Increased burses from approximately $28 million in 2012 to almost $140
million in 2023
b. Increased horse racing’s economic impact to $2.7 billion
c. Supported foal breeding increase. The number of thoroughbred foals more than
doubled from 2012 through 2023.

2) The bill will result in hundreds or thousands of lost jobs.
a. HB 298 would cost Ohio’s racinos an estimated 18.5% of their revenue
b. Result in the loss of over 2,000 jobs

Below is a link where you can find your Senator and House member by entering
your address. Click on the Senator or House members name and you will see
information including a phone number to contact them at.

https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/members/district-maps

Belterra Park Barn Area Opening

Belterra Park and their partners continue to make great headway in cleaning up and organizing racing-related areas. As such, as we continue our progress in addressing the impact of the recent flood, our racing-related reopening plan/timeline is as follows next week:

Backside Stables
Open at 12 PM on Tuesday 4/29/25
Resume normal schedule thereafter

Dorms
Open at 8 AM on Wednesday 4/30/25
Resume normal schedule thereafter

Training
12 PM to 3 PM on Wednesday 4/30/25
6 AM to 10:30 AM on Thursday 5/1/25
6 AM to 10:30 AM on Friday 5/2/25
6 AM to 10:30 AM on Saturday 5/3/25
Resume normal schedule thereafter

Live Racing
Post time at 1:35 PM on Saturday 5/3/25 (Derby Day)
Resume normal schedule and post time of 12:35 PM thereafter

We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding as we’ve continued to work through these efforts. Please note that we do plan to utilize temporary units in some cases (e.g., for our racing offices, concessions, racetrack kitchen, etc.) as we continue to work to return some areas to their normal/functional state; however, we anticipate these circumstances having no negative impact on the efficiency of the operation while utilized.

Belterra Park Barn Area Opening Delayed

Belterra Park’s barn area will not open for horse on April 15th as originally scheduled due to severe flooding of the Ohio River last week.

At this time, we do not have a date for when the barn area will be open for horses but it is likely to be at least April 25th as much clean up and disinfecting needs to be undertaken on both the buildings and the barns.

Currently opening day for the meet remains scheduled for Thursday, May 1st

Mahoning Valley Cancels Live Racing Monday and Tuesday, February 24th and 25th

Live racing has been cancelled for both Monday and Tuesday at Mahoning Valley
due to adverse track conditions.

Monday’s card will be raced as drawn on Saturday, March 1st. Tuesday’s card will
be run as drawn on Sunday, March 2nd. Horsemen will be able to scratch for
either Saturday or Sunday by scratch time without penalty.

Training has been cancelled for Monday. A decision on training for Tuesday will
be made Monday morning.

Mahoning Valley Training Schedule

There will be training tomorrow Wednesday, February 19th from 7am to 10am with no break.

There will be training on Friday, February 21st to make up for today’s cancelled training hours.