Horse Racing Legislation Impacting Communities

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Nov. 9, 2015 - PRLog -- When Tina Mawing and her husband left Seattle and moved to West Virginia, they thought this was the opportunity to live their dream.  They had raced horses in Seattle, but like most tracks in the country, it only operated seasonally, meaning a lot of travel to other tracks throughout the year.  West Virginia seemed to have just what they were looking for...the opportunity for stability and growth, with year round racing at Charles Town Races.  Tina cashed in her 401K and their life savings were invested in the purchase of a farm and racing stock.  And for a while, things went just as they hoped.  They were able to grow their farm, and had, on average, 25 horses at the farm.  Tina, trained as an ICU nurse, transitioned from full time nursing  to per diem work to keep her skills up.

But all of that has changed. In 2005, legislature reduced the amount of funding going from casino revenues to racing purses by $11 million dollars per year, to cover the Workers Compensation Debt Reduction Fund.  A provision in that bill stated that when the worker's compensation bill was paid, the $11 million dollars per year would revert back to the purse fund.  However, in a 2014 session, legislature changed this provision, and inserted language that subjected nearly half of all purse monies to appropriation.  This in spite of the fact that the referendums that allowed both video lottery and table gaming into the community in the first place stipulated that a fixed portion of the revenue from the casino be invested in the horse racing and breeding industries.  The previous Legislature understood then that the horse racing industry was a vital part of the local economy, creating thousands of jobs, generating over $252 million in revenue for the communities and driving millions more in tourism revenue, and considered it a vital part of the community.

Now, as number of race days and purses decrease, the future of the industry is uncertain, and members of the community fear the long term impacts.  George Rutherford, president of the local chapter of the NAACP has met with not only breeders and trainers, but also the men and women who work in the stables, in the betting area, and on farms and businesses impacted by the racing industry.  He has expressed concern, not only for the horsemen, but also about the economic impact that a loss of racing would have on the community.  Such a loss could increase unemployment, decrease real estate sales and rentals, negatively impact tourism, and decrease farming income. (George Rutherford's letter can be viewed at http://cthbpa.com/index_29_1586807094.pdf ).

As for the Mawings, with the future of racing so uncertain they have reduced their total number of horses to ten, forced to give away broodmares they paid a substantial amount of money for. This is the first year in the last ten they did not breed any mares. In effect, they are watching their life savings and retirement funds disappear as legislature whittles away at the infrastructure that the horse industry was built upon.

To find out more about the history of the racing industry in West Virigia, and the impact of current legislation, visit cthbpa.com, or watch the legacy video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAphwryx09M