No Live Racing At Rockingham Park in 2010
Rockingham Park, the home of
thoroughbred and harness racing in the State of New Hampshire for
the past 104 years, will not host a live horse racing meeting in
2010, the Salem landmark announced today.
The NH legislature passed legislation in the
final minutes of the 2009 session which eliminated funding for the
NH Racing and Charitable Gaming Commission to regulate live racing
in NH for this year. The loss of this funding meant the commission cannot provide regulation
and oversight, and therefore cannot allow dates to be issued to
Rockingham or any other track in the state.
“ We have waited as long as we can for the
legislature to correct this, but we cannot wait any longer,” said
Edward M. Callahan, president and general manager of Rockingham
Park. “We must notify the horsemen who come from all over the
country so they can make other plans. Attempts have been made to
restore the funding to the commission, but those attempts have been
unsuccessful. In addition to the taxes that are paid, over the past few years the
state has eliminated various funds from racing and has increased
fees which would cost Rockingham almost $500,000 per year in order
to hold live racing.”
Rockingham Park generated over $2.5 million per
year directly to the State of NH in the form of fees and taxes from
racing, food sales, charitable gaming, and lottery sales.
In
testimony in front of the House Ways and Means Committee, live horse
racing was shown to generate an economic impact of almost $12
million per year in NH, with Rockingham’s racing and simulcasting
impact combined to be over $30 million per year.
Since 1933 when wagering on horse races was
legalized, Rockingham has contributed over $300 Million to the state
of NH.
“The legislature in its efforts to close a budget
hole of over $140 million does not feel the funding of the Racing
and Charitable Gaming Commission for live racing is beneficial,”
Callahan said.
With no live racing in 2010, it is estimated that
over 100 jobs will be lost and that the state will lose over 870
horsemen who had been licensed at Rockingham over the past year.
Current operations which include include
charitable gaming, charitable bingo, full card thoroughbred,
harness, and greyhound simulcasting, and various shows and
exhibitions will continue to provide employment for the racetrack’s
remaining employees.
Rockingham will continue to pursue the ability to
offer the product it has offered since the track first offered live
horse racing in 1906, and the racetrack hopes that racing may be
able to return in the future.
Rockingham will seek legislative approval for the
installation of slot machines in order to generate additional
revenue to the State of NH, create jobs, increase tourism, increase
purses, and improve the quality of the live racing product.
The last year that live racing was not conducted
at Rockingham Park was 1983 after the Grandstand burned to the ground
during a devastating fire that shuttered the track. The owners of
the facility at that time did not feel racing could be conducted
profitably and decided to sell the property to the current owners,
Rockingham Venture, Inc. Rockingham Venture Inc. rebuilt the track and re-opened on May 24,
1984 to a crowd of over 12,000 fans.
For more information on the history of the
racetrack, visit
www.rockinghampark.com.
