Churchill CEO comments raise concerns about Arlington Park
Recent statements by the top executive of Churchill Downs Inc., the corporate owner of the Arlington Park, have raised red flags about whether the company plans to unload the Arlington Heights racetrack.
However, a spokeswoman for Churchill Downs suggests that such assumptions are premature.
In a Louisville Courier-Journal article, Churchill Downs CEO Bob Evans said the company now earns more from online wagering and casino gambling than horse racing. Churchill Downs, which once owned seven racetracks and now has four, could trim that number even further, Evans said.
“Whether we've got four racetracks that'll be part of that or three or two, I don't know,” he told the Courier-Journal.
Which tracks survive will likely be the ones that offer more than just horse racing, he said. He refers to Arlington Park as “the most exposed” of the tracks, which include venues in New Orleans and Florida that already have casino-style gambling.
When contacted about the story Sunday, Julie Koenig Loignon, Churchill Downs' vice president for corporate communications, said that while anything is possible, there has been no discussion about selling current properties. The company cannot even comment at this time on the possibility of thinning its ranks of racing venues, she added.
“A lot of folks would argue that Arlington is the most beautiful racetrack facility in the United States today,” she said, praising track Chairman Richard Duchossois for his job in building the Arlington brand.
But she also pointed out the harsh economic realities that Arlington Park faces when competing against facilities that have alternative gaming or casino style gaming.
“On a year-round basis, race tracks that don't have slot machines are handicapped by competing with racetracks that do,” she said.
Churchill Downs itself faces the same competitive challenges as Arlington Park, she added, but has the advantage of hosting the Kentucky Derby and Oaks events.
When asked about Evans' statements, Arlington Heights Mayor Arlene Mulder expressed surprise. She said she was unaware that Evans had spoken to the press, although she was aware of Churchill Downs' concerns.
The statements reinforced her concerns about Arlington Park closing, she said of the business she considers vital to the local economy and important to the image of the village. Mulder last month came out in support of slot machines at the racetrack.
She noted that she recently met a couple from Michigan who asked whether Arlington Heights was “the town with Arlington Park.”
“They knew Arlington Park. They did not know Arlington Heights,” she said. “We need to support efforts to find a reliable and sustainable revenue stream (for Arlington Park), whatever that may be.”