Senator tries last-ditch push to boost horse-racing industry in Illinois
[May 30, 2025]
By Simon Carr and Medill Illinois News Bureau
SPRINGFIELD — In the backstretch of the legislative session, horse
racing advocates are pushing to revitalize the industry in Illinois and
its accompanying horse betting, both long in decline.
City officials from Decatur and Illinois horse racing advocates joined
an effort this week by Sen. Patrick Joyce, D-Essex, to push lawmakers to
approve legislation intended to revive a long-stalled south suburban
“racino” and open a path for a new racetrack and gaming facility in
Decatur.
Joyce’s bill, Senate Bill 1473, would undo part of a 2019 law that gave
Hawthorne Race Course, a gambling course in Stickney, authority to veto
other racecourse developments within 35 miles surrounding their suburban
Chicago location. At the same time, it would make way to build a new
racecourse in Decatur. The proposed development would include
grandstands, a sports complex, hotels, restaurants, a gaming facility
and a training center.
As video gambling soared in popularity, Illinois in 2019 tied horse
gambling to its success by issuing new casino licenses for exclusively
joint horse racing-casino ventures — so-called “racinos.” Advocates say
the revenue from video gambling helps incentivise participation in the
horse racing industry by providing for larger payouts..
“The amount of people that feed (horses), train them, auto lock them,
the veterinarians, blacksmiths. … There’s a lot of employment that goes
along with these tracks,” Joyce said at a Senate Executive Committee
hearing Wednesday. “Illinois used to be a powerhouse in harness racing
and horse breeding.”
Despite the 2019 law and repeated promises from Hawthorne’s president,
Tim Carey, the company has yet to begin development on its racino.
Representatives said the track has been unable to secure financing.
The Decatur facility advocates want to move forward with private
funding.
“A project of this scope and magnitude would be trailblazing for Decatur
and our surrounding communities. It’s time for central Illinois, with
the help of our local and state leaders, to be at the forefront of
reviving this industry,” said Nicole Bateman, president of the Economic
Development Corporation of Decatur-Macon County.
Joyce’s bill has received blowback from small businesses in Decatur, who
fear a “racino” of this scale might oversaturate the town’s already
thriving gambling market.
Rep. Brad Stephens, R-Rosemont, said he’s concerned the projected growth
associated with allowing gambling terminals at horse tracks might come
at the expense of Illinois’ growing video gambling industry:
“Are we just cannibalizing one industry for another?” Stephens asked.
The bill has received nearly 300 witness slips in opposition, many
coming from small businesses in Decatur, compared with about 1,000
witness slips in support. Much of the Decatur opposition stems from
business owners who rely on revenue from video gaming terminals and
worry that a nearby racino would draw gamblers away from their
businesses.
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Sen. Patrick Joyce, (center) D-Essex, speaks in favor of his bill to
expand horse racing in Illinois alongside Jeff Davis, president of
the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association, and Nicole Bateman,
president of the Economic Development Corporation of Decatur-Macon
County. Decatur would be the site of a new racino under the
legislation. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Peter Hancock)
Jeff Davis, president of the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association,
countered that casinos and video gambling attract different customers,
so he expects the proposed development in Decatur won’t affect local
businesses with video gambling machines.
Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, indicated frustration at
Wednesday’s hearing that Hawthorne Race Course has for too long failed
to attract investment in its racecourse/casino development plans.
“How long do we give you? 10, 20, 30 years?” Harmon asked a Hawthorne
representative at the hearing before voting for the bill’s passage in
committee.
At a news conference Wednesday, Gov. JB Pritzker said that while he’s
enthusiastic about any exurban or rural development program, he has yet
to take a position on this bill.
Joyce has been working on similar initiatives to support Illinois’ horse
betting industry for years. While debate might still drag into the
summer, the senator holds hope for the bill to pass this session, which
ends Saturday.
Problem gambling has been recognized by medical experts as a health
concern, and video gambling machines, in particular, have been called
one of the most harmful forms of gambling at an individual level,
especially for gambling addicts.
With or without the video gambling industry, the horse-racing industry
faces many economic headwinds and a dwindling fanbase.
Some animal rights organizations believe the industry’s declining
support is linked to a growing concern for the horses’ safety.
“The American public has decided that it no longer wishes to support
entertainment in which animals die,” said Kathy Guillermo, senior vice
president of PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Both New York and Florida’s legislatures have considered decoupling the
race-horsing and video-gambling industries this year, but so far neither
has done so.
Advocates in Illinois, meanwhile, predicted the industry would see a
resurgence in Illinois if the legislation authorizing new tracks clears
the General Assembly.
Simon Carr is a student in journalism with
Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media,
Integrated Marketing Communications, and a fellow in its Medill
Illinois News Bureau working in partnership with Capitol News
Illinois.
Capitol News Illinois is
a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state
government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is
funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R.
McCormick Foundation. |
