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Racetrack Gaming Bill Sidelined

A bill to allow a form of casino-style gambling at the state’s horse racing tracks was derailed when a hearing set for June 26 was blocked.

The measure, introduced by Assemblyman Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, would allow new gaming technology to be installed in track terminals, thus giving race-goers the opportunity to wager on historical meets using only handicappers’ information. The identification of the horses and jockeys would not be given until the bets were placed.

In theory, the revenue from the new operation would help the California horse racing industry offset the impact of racinos, out-of-state racetracks that install slot machines to increase their purse sizes and attract more big-name horses and jockeys.

Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, the chairman of the governmental organization committee, which was scheduled to consider the bill, delayed the hearing until mid-August. The Legislature concludes its session at the end of August.

Florez also voiced his uncertainty about the measure, saying that allowing such casino-style gambling, prohibited to all but American Indian tribes within the state, would be a de facto change in state law.

Yee’s bill calls for authorizing alterations to 1,850 betting terminals at seven tracks. The horse racing industry backs it, but the tribes oppose it.

, Connie Lewis

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