Weeks after the gorgeous announcement that the company homeowners of Arlington International Racecourse gained’t pursue a newly licensed on line casino license, state horse racing regulators on Tuesday reamed the president of the suburban monitor for passing on the playing jackpot that had lengthy been sought as a monetary lifesaver for the struggling business.
Churchill Downs Inc. final month blamed excessive taxes, a saturated playing market and required contributions to a state thoroughbred purse fund as causes to not put money into as much as 1,200 slots and desk video games allowed at Arlington underneath the state’s new playing growth legislation.
Illinois Racing Board commissioner Thomas McCauley known as that “nonsense.”
“The solution is already there. And Churchill rejected that solution,” McCauley stated as he and fellow commissioners grilled Arlington president Tony Petrillo for an hour throughout a Racing Board assembly on the Thompson Center.
Illinois Racing Board Commissioner Thomas McCauley.Mitchell Armentrout/Sun-Times
McCauley chastised the corporate for missing “any regard for social responsibility whatsoever,” echoing business advocates who stated they had been blindsided by the choice final month that they are saying snubs hundreds of staff after what ought to have been a legislative win.
“As we all know, it’ll deprive workers. Who knows how many jobs will not be available because of that decision?” McCauley stated.
He steered Churchill is making an attempt to realize leverage over Springfield lawmakers in negotiations for extra a extra favorable tax construction in the course of the fall veto session — and that the corporate is in search of to guard their different main Illinois playing operation: Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, the highest-grossing on line casino in Illinois.
The state’s different two present racetracks, Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney and downstate Fairmount Park, have each utilized for on line casino licenses.
Petrillo and representatives of the opposite tracks — together with a brand new Tinley Park “racino” proposed by Hawthorne basic supervisor Tim Carey and actual property developer Rick Heidner — appeared earlier than the board Tuesday in search of approval for 2020 licenses and racing dates.
But the board opted to delay their vote on the licenses and dates for one week, as a substitute passing a decision to present Churchill time “to duly discern whether to maintain its current position going forward” and “reject the very activity it has pleaded for for so many years” — and to determine if it “really wants to signal to the world at once and for all it’s only a gaming software company, and no longer a horse racing enterprise,” McCauley stated.
Arlington International Racecourse president Tony Petrillo.Mitchell Armentrout/Sun-Times
Petrillo stated he hasn’t been concerned in higher-level Churchill discussions. He toed the corporate line, citing “exorbitant” licensing charges “and the incredible amount of infrastructure that’s required to support racing at Arlington,” which he says scrapes by with a revenue margin of simply 3.6% as is.
“We’re not on a level playing field,” Petrillo stated, evaluating their state of affairs to that of the Chicago on line casino licensing course of, which was not too long ago kicked again to the General Assembly by the Illinois Gaming Board.
“Something is needed in order to help Chicago. Well, something is needed in order to help Arlington at this juncture to get to a more level playing field,” he stated.
McCauley shot that down that declare, saying state lawmakers wouldn’t “be viced by anybody, much less horse racing, which took 20 years to get what they wanted.”
Churchill has stated it can apply for a sports activities betting license — which Petrillo stated will permit Arlington “to be sustainable for more years to come” — whereas in any other case exploring “longer-term alternatives.” They’ve refused to decide to reside horse…