Arlington racetrack not interested in wagers on old races
This story was corrected with the name of the Illinois Racing Board.
Bettors can place wagers at live horse races at Arlington International Racecourse or those being simulcast from tracks throughout the country, and now there's a proposal to allow bets on old races in Illinois.
But the so-called historical horse racing - a form of video gambling - isn't something officials at the Arlington Heights-based racetrack are interested in, holding out hope instead for more lucrative slots and table games to generate revenue for a struggling state horse racing industry.
"There's very little revenue out of historical gaming," said Tony Petrillo, general manager of Arlington Park. "We've seen in markets that have other competition, they just are not viable. It's just not a viable solution to the long-term sustainability of the industry, and that's what we are interested in."
Five states - Virginia, Kentucky, Arkansas, Wyoming and Oregon - allow historical horse racing wagers on touch-screen machines at their tracks. Players deposit a wager and pick horses from an archive video library of actual races, though the names of horses and races aren't revealed until after a bet is made. Bettors can utilize handicapping data to make their picks or make selections at random. They also can watch video of the race or just go to the results.
The operators of Hawthorne Racecourse in Cicero and Fairmount Park in Collinsville proposed bringing the machines to Illinois as a way to supplement declining purse revenues.
During a meeting at Arlington late last week, the Illinois Racing Board agreed to craft rules governing wagers on historic race betting terminals, but there's still some question as to whether the proposal would pass legal muster. The plan also still requires review by Gov. Bruce Rauner's policy advisers and the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, made up of lawmakers from both houses of the General Assembly.
Racing board member Thomas McCauley said there's nothing in state law that expressly prohibits wagering on old races. And he said such bets are pari-mutuel - winners split money from a pool - just as they are in live racing.
But critics say the historic race betting machines are slot machines in disguise.
"Just because other states have chosen to allow historic horse racing machines does not mean they are legal in Illinois," said Kathy Gilroy, a Villa Park anti-gambling activist. "Just as a spade is a spade, a slot is a slot."
The addition of slot machines - as many as 1,200 at Arlington under previous proposals - and games like blackjack or craps would require the approval of state lawmakers, but efforts have fallen flat over nearly two decades.
That's why the two other racetracks in the state proposed the idea of installing historical horse racing terminals in their grandstands.
Arlington's Petrillo said even with the terminals, it would be hard for the racetracks to compete with casinos and bars - and that's why he holds out hope lawmakers will allow Arlington to have slots and table games, like racetracks in other states. He also noted that Oaklawn racetrack in Arkansas - where historical betting machines originated in 2000 - has replaced most of those terminals with slot machines.
Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes said he and the village board support anything in the short or long term that will help Arlington Park remain open. To that point, Hayes drafted a letter to state leaders in 2015 in support of expanded gambling at the track, despite his initial opposition.
Like Hayes, former Mayor Arlene Mulder - now a member of the racing board - also was long opposed to more gambling, but in 2011 she said she'd be willing to accept slots if they helped the track stay open.
"If you ask residents, 'Do you want to keep Arlington Park?' everyone would probably be unanimous with that," Mulder said Friday.
"They love it and they're proud of it. But the second question is, 'At what cost?' It does have competition and it's somewhat difficult."