Nebraska Allowing Horse Tracks to Die a Slow Death
The sport of kings has much gone the way of royalty itself the past few decades: if not totally eradicated, at least reduced to awkward acknowledgement of a tradition which has lost its fire and meaning. Horse racing around the United States has struggled to maintain a semblance of what was so recently the noblest of gambling ventures.
Slot machines and poker rooms have partnered with race tracks to bring higher purses and more patrons to races, salvaging a future for many tracks. But in Nebraska, once a horse racing mecca, other forms of gambling aren't allowed, and the horses are paying the cost.
Fonner Park in Nebraska filled with fans on race day as recently as twenty years ago. Packed grandstands led to huge revenues. In 1985, adjusting for inflation to 2007 dollars,Nebraska horse racing took in wagers of $413 million. There were 233 racing days.
Last year, the state saw 103 racing days, with a total handle of $96.5 million.
Nebraska's reticence to acquiesce to other forms of gambling at its tracks has not only hurt the purses and handle directly, but also caused gamblers to abandon the tracks and seek better-rounded gambling venues out of state. Iowa and Kansas tracks have all the horse action, plus the draw of cards and slots.
If Nebraska considers its racing tradition to be something of import, something to not let vanish into the sands of time, it might be wise to reconsider opposition to racinos. It might be the only way to return this once-proud state industry to anything near its former self.
