NEWS
Indiana off-track betting parlor opens Monday
Posted: Monday, March 22, 2004
Indiana Downs's new off-track betting parlor in Clarksville, Indiana, opened at 11 a.m. EST on Monday, inciting concern from Churchill Downs Inc. in Louisville that it will hurt business on both sides of the Ohio River.Churchill Downs Inc., which also owns Hoosier Park in Indiana, is concerned that the increased competition for gambling dollars between tracks, riverboat casinos, lotteries, and online gambling will cut the pie too thin. Churchill is concerned that the Indiana border OTB will siphon dollars away from Churchill's Trackside OTB, which before the Clarksville operation opened, was the only pari-mutuel option in the Louisville market.
The biggest issue circling the new OTB is whether it will be able to simulcast races from Kentucky. The Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association is in charge of the signal, and it has yet to bequeath it to the Indiana parlor.
Marty Maline, executive director of the Kentucky HBPA, told the Louisville Courier-Journal that the Kentucky signal at the Clarksville OTB could equate to a 15% to 20% drop in wagering at the Trackside OTB.
