Deadline looms for Pa. horse racing deal

State lawmakers and Pennsylvania's horse-racing industry met again Thursday but failed to reach a deal to keep tracks running statewide, leaving one day before Gov. Wolf said he would be forced to order the sport to shut down.

Representatives of both sides will reconvene at noon Friday, said Salvatore M. DeBunda, president of the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, which represents trainers and owners at Parx Casino in Bensalem.

In an email, DeBunda confirmed there was "no definitive resolution" but declined to elaborate. The talks focus on how the state will shift the increasing costs of regulating the industry onto the racetracks and horse owners.

Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said he was optimistic, stating that "considerable progress" has been made.

In the balance could be six racetracks statewide, including Parx and Harrah's in Chester. Together they contribute $1.6 billion to the state's economy and employ 23,000 people.

Wolf said last week that the state could no longer afford to bail out the increasingly insolvent state racing fund, which pays for licensing, safety measures, and drug testing of horses.

For decades, those costs, which total about $20 million, were covered by revenue from betting. But as wagers declined along with horse racing's popularity, the fund fell short, often forcing the state to transfer money from elsewhere in the budget. This year, the shortfall is about $10 million, officials said.

Harrisburg's budget stalemate forced the issue into the open last week because the state lacked money to transfer into the racing fund, the administration said. The tracks would close 30 days after an order to shut down.

The governor's spokesman, Jeff Sheridan, said the industry had to face the "hard truths," and pushed for agreement on a measure that would include the industry's bearing $9 million in drug-testing costs.

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