The Greater Kansas Racing Alliance (Alliance) announces Race for Kansas, an initiative that will create jobs and revitalize the horse and Greyhound racing industry in Kansas. Race for Kansas volunteers recently participated in the Topeka Farm Show and will exhibit during Equifest, February 26-28, 2016 at the Kansas Expo Center in Topeka.
As the Kansas legislature resumes on January 11, 2016, the Alliance will encourage lawmakers to update Kansas statutes to allow Kansas racing venues to operate at a sustainable tax rate. “Revitalizing the racing industry in Kansas will create more than 3,000 new jobs and offers a new revenue source for lawmakers to reduce the state’s budget gap,” according to Kimberly Svaty with the Alliance. The restored industry would also support countless allied businesses, vendors and family farms across rural and urban Kansas alike.
Maintaining Kansas’ robust race horse and Greyhound sectors is not only a win for the Kansas economy and those who raise and train horses and Greyhounds but also a win for the overall Kansas agriculture industry and all 105 Kansas counties. Farmers growing feed grains and bedding, implement supply stores, feed and equipment supply stores, veterinarians and many more main street-businesses benefit from a strong racing industry in Kansas. Additionally, the racing venues in Kansas are owned by Kansans, therefore the revenue generated from these operations is Kansas revenue that will be reinvested in Kansas.
In 2007, the Kansas legislature passed a bill that allowed electronic gaming machines at racing venues – allowing tracks to offer greater purses to winning horses and Greyhounds thereby attracting a larger number of entries, but nearly doubled the state tax rate. The increased tax rate is unsustainable for racetrack owners and all tracks closed within a year of the tax increase. “Race for Kansas encourages lawmakers to pass legislation this session putting electronic gaming at racing venues on par with the state tax rate afforded to the rest of the gaming industry in Kansas,” shared Svaty.
For more information and to support the initiative, visit www.RaceForKansas.com.
We want to thank the Breeders Cup for donating items for our booth at Equifest and also TOBA for fliers and pens. Equifest was a great place to get the word out about bringing back horse racing to Kansas. We hope the Woodlands gets opened and our Legislators understand the economic impact to the agricultural industry in Kansas.