A bill in the Kansas Senate is intended to give new life to the moribund horseracing industry in the Sunflower state.
The Senate last week held hearings on Senate Bill 192 that would lower taxes on slot machines deployed at racetracks from 40 percent to 22 percent. This, say supporters, would encourage investment in the former Leavenworth racetrack that has not seen a race for seven years.
They point out that racetracks cannot afford to operate in the state with a tax rate of between 10 to 30 percent on gaming revenue.
Senator Steve Fitzgerald, whose district includes the now silent Woodlands Racetrack in Wyandotte County, quoted by the KU Statehouse Wire Service said, “Folks actively engaged in racing today are doing so outside the state of Kansas, fostering none of the economic benefits associated with a vibrant horse-racing culture.”
Kansas has an active horserace industry, but horse owners must go out of the state to compete.
This is the seventh year that a bill like SB 192 has been before the Senate. The Federal and State Affairs Committee has not scheduled more hearings on the bill.
