Tribal Casino Company Gambling on Texas Horse Racing Track
A gaming company owned by the Chickasaw tribe is bidding on Lone Star Park, a horse racing track in Grand Prairie, Texas. The track is in bankruptcy and coming off record lows in attendance and dollars handled in wagering, but Global Gaming Solutions is interested in purchasing the venue.
Gambling analysts say the casino operating company does not want the track as simply a racing proposition, but as a base for potential casino gambling if and when Texas law changes.
"They certainly didn't buy it to race the ponies," Jack Pratt, treasurer of the Texas Gaming Association, told the Dallas Morning News.
Pratt did note that gaming in Texas would first need legislative approval, and then a voter-approved state constitutional amendment, a process which would take at least until 2011.
Chickasaw gaming companies operate fifteen casinos, including Oklahoma casinos on the Texas border which would stand to lose much revenue if Texas keeps gamblers instate with looser casino laws.
"It's a big gamble to drop $30 million into a track that is losing money," said Pratt. "The only way it can be salvaged, obviously, is they have to have gambling."
