Activity in the Kansas legislature has been moving quickly in the past seven days. Last week, Senate Bill 260 was introduced by Senator Michael Fagg, District 14 (including Eureka), into the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee that would codify into law among other things, the distribution of revenues from historical horse racing wagering into the Kansas Breeders Development Fund and the Fair Horse Racing Benefit Fund, intended to support live racing.
On Monday of last week, a hearing on the bill was held in committee and the Kansas Quarter Horse Racing Association (KQHRA) and the Kansas Horse Council testified in support of passage. After testimony was heard, members of the committee voted to move the bill forward for debate on the full Senate floor. Senate Majority Leader Chase Blasi, Colwich, scheduled debate on the bill the next day. After a brief debate, the Senate body moved to take a final action vote on the bill, the Senate voted in favor by an overwhelming majority 36 to 4, passing the bill through the upper chamber of the legislature.
The bill now resides in the House of Representatives, where the KQHRA will continue to work diligently with legislators to ensure progress continues and the bill is passed through that chamber before moving to the Governor for final approval. The Kansas legislative session ends on April 12.
Historical Horse Racing (HHR) was approved by the Kansas legislature in 2022 allowing for up to 1,000 machines to be located in Sedgwick County (Wichita). After passage, a license was granted to the Golden Circle Casino for operation of these machines at the former Wichita Greyhound Park just outside of Wichita. The $135M renovation project is well underway with an expected opening date for late this year.
In response to the passage of the HHR law, the KQHRA has been working with members of the legislature and other interested parties to develop bill lan guage that would bring live racing back to Kansas by connecting HHR revenue to the live racing funds that currently exist in statute. In the 2024 legislative session, the legislature passed language similar to SB260, but through the omnibus budget bill, which has an expiration date of June 30, 2027.
SB260 will make this language permanent and provide certainty to the industry that live racing will indeed return to the state. With the enhancement of the Kansas Breeders Development Fund within the
bill, breeders will have a substantial incentive to bring mares and stallions to Kansas and develop their breeding program here, driving economic growth throughout the state.
The Greenwood County Fair Association, which owns Eureka Downs, would qualify for an organizational license upon application to the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission to operate a live horse racing meet at the track. The money in the Horse Racing Fair Benefit Fund, as it becomes available from the HHR machines, can be used for the operational expenses of the race meeting, purse money for the races, as well as allow for capital improvements to the facility each and every year a live racing meeting is held. Having live racing return to Eureka will create additional economic opportunities for local businesses in town and the surrounding areas. The capital improvements made to the facility could also help build a first class, multi-purpose use property to benefit all members of the community.
