Betrayal is the buzz word heard in many Pennsylvania shedrows these days as horsemen cringe following Gov. Tom Corbett’s 2012-13 budget proposal which includes the diversion of $72 million from the Horse Race Development Fund to help balance the budget
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More than $2.35 billion in gross slot revenue was generated in 2010-11 in Pennsylvania, and the Race Horse Development Fund was reported to have received around $275 million. Around 80% of that money was then used for purses.
If, and when, those funds are diverted it will prompt many horsemen to relocate.
“I put a lot of money into the area. But if the plug gets pulled, I won’t be able to continue and I’ll have to find somewhere else to go. I like it here. But without the racing at the level it’s been at, I won’t be able to stay. If the purses go away, that will dry up a lot of my business,” said horse owner Salerno, who now boards horses from Canada, Florida, New Jersey and elsewhere.
Ron Battoni, executive director of the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association, said cuts to the Horse Race Development Fund will mean a significant decrease in purses that are used “to pay everyone from blacksmiths to veterinarians to stable hands.
“Trainers and owners who brought their horses and businesses to Pennsylvania with the expectation of competing for a certain level of purses are going to pull up stakes and make their investments elsewhere. Sadly, they won’t be back, because they are not going to have any faith or trust in our elected officials,” Battoni said.
The Meadows, which disbursed more than $191 million dollars throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania including gaming taxes, is currently expanding its facility with a $25 million project to construct a new 1,400 space parking garage and a 24,600-square-foot multi-purpose center.
Another 22-acre parcel was purchased in 2011 and will eventually be developed to provide additional entertainment and destination options for casino guests, including a proposed 200-room hotel.
The Meadows currently employs a staff in excess of 1,400 people, and pays out more than $33 million in annual payroll.
(With files from Timesleader.com and Canon-McMillan.Patch.com)