Monmouth Park in Oceanport New Jersey saw its Memorial Day attendance fall to 42,000 this year, down from 60,000 in 2015.
The track is notable for its plan to introduce sports betting as part of the state’s efforts to get around a federal ban on the practice. That effort, however, is still before a federal appeals court. The track also sought to house a casino under a proposed plan to expand casino gambling in the state, but would not qualify for a project under the state’s current voter referendum to allow the expansion.
Monmouth Park held live racing from Saturday through Monday over the holiday weekend and hosted the Jersey Shore Food Truck Festival this year, but attendance was still down according to the Asbury Park Press.
Bettors wagered $2,264,176 at the track last year. But on-track handle fell to $1,519,687 this season, a decrease of 32.8 percent. There was $7,752,605 bet on races at Monmouth Park from bettors across the country this year. That’s down from more than $15 million last year.
Monmouth Park adviser Dennis Drazin said the decision not to allow a casino there and a shortage of horses in the Mid-Atlantic region is hurting the track, which is hosting a 57-day meet this year with live racing held on weekends and holidays. The track held a similar 58-day meet last year.
“There’s a horse shortage; all tracks are suffering the same things we are right now,” Drazin told the paper. “The future is a circuit where we’re not all running against each other and all the tracks are better off. The tracks in the Mid-Atlantic region need to figure out a way to share the horse colony.”
