Pennsylvania HBPA

Federal court documents filed June 24 show that Presque Isle Downs and Casino (PID) and the Pennsylvania Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (PAHBPA) have been locked in an ongoing dispute over the revenue sharing of advance-deposit wagers (ADW). The disagreement centers on allegations by the PAHBPA that over the past several years, PID--whose corporate parent is Churchill Downs, Inc., (CDI)--has been steering on-track patrons to make bets through ADW platforms like TwinSpires that are controlled by another CDI-owned entity, the Churchill Downs Technology Initiatives Company (CDTIC). Allegedly, PID is not...

The Pennsylvania Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (PHBPA) met with the management of Penn National Dec. 28 to come up with a contingency plan to keep racing going through January using purse money already "on deposit" in the event that Governor Tom Wolf's COVID-19-related closure of Penn's Hollywood Casino extends past the currently mandated Jan. 4. date. "Penn National has agreed to continue live racing through [January], provided the handle generates a break-even scenario for the company," Todd Mostoller, the PHBPA's executive director, wrote in a one-page memo to members...

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has given permission for the state's Thoroughbred and Standardbred tracks to resume racing. According to Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association President Sal DeBunda, Parx will resume racing June 22. Todd Mostoller, who heads the horsemen's groups at Penn National and Presque Isle Downs, said he hopes that Penn National will start racing again June 19. He said it would take longer to start racing at Presque Isle Downs because there are not any horses currently stabled there. "We had hoped to open earlier, but, because of...