On Wednesday, January 30, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed a crucial Advance Deposit Wagering bill into law, thus averting a mass exodus from the state’s horse racing industry.
The piece of legislation was passed by the Senate (by a vote of 47-4) and then the House (95-10) earlier in the day.
A report by the Chicago Tribune has cited Senator Terry Link as saying that the law's expiration date has been extended until February, 2017 to prevent a "dramatic cut" in racing activities.
In a statement uploaded to the website of the Illinois Harness Horseman’s Association, president Dave McCaffery stated, “So, what does this mean? First and foremost, it means that the Illinois Racing Board will award the racing dates in ‘Scenario 1’ of the dates order. In short, we'll race three days a week at Balmoral and two days a week at Maywood for most of 2014 (there is about a 10 day break during the State Fair in August).”
McCaffery explained that Illinois horsepeople will now have to negotiate a contract with the operators of Balmoral Park and Maywood Park. “If the racetracks refuse to defer any recapture, we're facing major purse cuts,” McCaffery stated.
He went on to say, “Today was a good day; now let's hope that we can get a decent contract that protects purses.”
(With files from the Chicago Tribune and the IHHA)