Indiana Horse Racing and Breeding Coalition
www.hoosiersforhorses.org
Shelbyville News
January 10, 2005
Editorial
When last we got on this soapbox — the Indiana General Assembly needs to pass pull-tab legislation else the horse racing industry will dry up and blow away — we had a short letter from a reader: Good riddance.
Truth is, racing in Indiana keeps a too-low profile, but it is an industry well worth protecting and nurturing. It has a far larger impact on the health of the state’s economy than is often recognized, and states that do more to foster racing’s success are the better off for it.
Given that we’re broke, or close to it, and given that Indianapolis Mayor
Bart Peterson wants to keep the Colts — and, apparently, so do we, given the local response to Shelby County Day at the Dome on Dec. 19, to the tailgating and television-watching parties at Indiana Downs this season and the enthusiasm for the Blue Brigade — legislation to that effect has a far better chance of passing this year than ever before.
Shelby County Rep. Luke Messer stopped in Friday to talk about his support of a bill that would almost immediately put $100 million into the state’s coffers — the licensing fee for Indiana Downs and Hoosier Park would be $50 million apiece, allowing for 2,500 pull-tabs to be split between the two tracks. Thereafter, the state would reap about $67 million a year from the machines and the tracks — and horsemen — would have something on the order of $25 million to play with. That means bigger purses, more participation and the development of a far more vigorous industry.
More to the point, the bill Messer is supporting, as opposed to one being championed by Rep. Mike Murphy, of Indianapolis, sets aside $5 million annually for this community. That money would be split between the city (40 percent), the schools (20 percent) and the county (39.5 percent). The remainder would be earmarked for combating the less attractive side of gaming — gambling addiction programs, for example.
Messer’s support, he says, is contingent on that local funding. Without question, some 1,250 pull-tabs at Indiana Downs is going to create some local headaches and local expense. It is only right that money be provided to deal with them.
Truth is, we care not a whit about pull-tabs or any other form of casino gambling, for that matter. Truth be told, we’re on the fence about building the Colts another palace on the public tab. But we care deeply about the horse industry, and we care deeply about seeing a Shelby County business survive and thrive.
It is likely that the bill, if and when it progresses, will kill the remaining off-track betting parlors to which the tracks are entitled under current regulations. That’s a casualty that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to us, but it will provide cover for those legislators who feel compelled to tell their constituents that the trade means that pull-tabs do not really represent an expansion of gambling.
It would be better — at least it would be a little more honest — to be a little more upfront. We’ve got the lottery. We’ve got riverboats. Once you’ve got gambling, adding machines doesn’t expand it, it just makes it more convenient.
Given the money situation, we’re hopeful that the legislators will quit playing games with this gaming bill, and get it done.