by Trey Nosrac
You’re welcome.
I’m sorry.
You’re welcome that I did some heavy reading. I’m sorry that I don’t completely understand what I read.
The future of harness racing troubles me. Therefore, the May 18, 2025, front page headline of The Cleveland Plain Dealer got my attention. The article was titled, Lawmakers look to go all in on iGaming. The subtitle read – State Senate Bill 197 would let websites and apps allow people 21 or older to gamble via casino-styled games. The bill was introduced by Senator Nathan Manning of North Ridgeville, OH, as state Senate Bill 197. The bill is currently under consideration in the Ohio Senate’s select committee on gaming.
“The bill would allow Ohio’s four casinos and seven racinos to introduce websites or apps to gamble on casino-styled games such as roulette, slots, blackjack, and poker, plus internet gambling on real and simulated horse racing.”
Upon reading the lede (yes, the word is lede and not lead), my harness racing survival thoughts and Spidey sense engaged. What does this mean for the thriving Ohio harness racing program? Is this good news or bad? I dove deeper into the question by searching the internet for a copy of the proposed legislation. Here is where you can thank me and why my head almost exploded.
The legislation I downloaded was approximately the length of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy — 701 pages filled with cross-outs, underlines, and additions. Written in legalist gobbledygook style, Senate Bill 197 was not nearly as interesting as Tolstoy. I doubt many legislators or citizens even read bills of this length written in a pompous, confusing, authoritarian tone. Should you have trouble sleeping, the link is here.
With a can of Red Bull and two naps, your friendly correspondent read the entire legislation. Well, full disclosure: there was skimming. Page after page, about vendors, initial licenses, tax rates, lotteries, bingo, funding, charitable, fingerprinting, the Ohio constitution, blah, blah blah.
As I read the legislation, I wondered about the genesis of this proposal. I asked if Nathan Manning rose from bed one morning and decided to wade into these waters. Did some powerful lobbyists slip into the Buckeye State and suggest that this proposal was an excellent idea for the citizens of Ohio? Did Nathan write the proposal, or did he have friends assist in the plan? Is this an altruistic citizen-driven action without a hint of ulterior motivation? Is or was the Ohio horse racing community deeply involved and actively participating in Senate Bill 197? Who are the winners and losers?
As a horse racing enthusiast, most of the information glazed over my eyes. However, one detail alarmed me. Starting on page 188, line 5713 (the document has both pages and line numbers) and on lines 5774, 5848, 6135, 6344 – etc., I noticed the term “Racing Commission” has a deletion line through the word “Racing,” leaving only the word Commission.” If my interpretation of the legislation is correct, the Ohio Casino Control Commission would oversee gambling, including horse racing. The new legislation would abolish The Ohio State Racing Commission (RAC) if passed.
Rarely do those in horse racing know what is afoot in the gaming legislation world. We do not know if our sport has a seat at the table in the Ohio Senate’s select committee on gaming, which is the current stop on the progression of this bill to law. We do not know the ramifications of passage. We do not know who our best advocates are. The subject of writing or reading legislation is above most of our pay grades. I would wager that very few in our trotting or pacing tribe know about this pending legislation. It would be outstanding if a few gurus from our sport could shine a light in this darkness so we don’t wake up one day and ask what the hell happened.
Let us take a few moments to speculate.
For proponents of harness horse racing, the concept of an Ohio Casino Control Commission calling the shots for horse racing should bring knots to your stomach. The other players in this gambling stew (bingo, land-based casinos, online sports gambling, online casino gambling, the Ohio lottery, and who knows who else) are powerful and predatory and do not wake each morning looking to bolster harness horse racing.
More troubling is that several articles popped up while searching for an analysis of the legislation. However, none addressed the effect on horse racing, while several reported, “The legislation may move fast.”
The gambling floodgates are open. The public’s resistance to gambling, both online and in person, is fading. We are well over a decade from being the only legal gamble in the state. With the passage of legislation such as this, irresponsible gamblers and gambling addicts can finish off a few wine coolers, stroll out to their kids’ backyard swing set, open their phones, and gamble away every dime they have and dimes they do not have.
This report on pending legislation is very depressing. Who has our harness racing backs is an unknown question. I sense that the long knives are out in every horse racing state. The parties wielding the long knives are powerful.
That’s all I got on this topic: a report, a few fears, no answers, and eyestrain.
After reading this legislation, War and Peace, another Tolstoy tome, does not look as daunting. If harness racing gets cut out of the pie, I will order a copy of War and Peace, pop a wine cooler, and read it. If casinos call the tune for harness horse racing in Ohio, I will have plenty of time for reading.
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