* Daily Herald…
The association representing horse owners and trainers at Arlington Park has called on the Illinois attorney general to launch an antitrust investigation into track owner Churchill Downs Inc.
The request stems from the Louisville, Kentucky-based corporation’s August 2019 decision to forgo slots and table games at Arlington Park, five months after it acquired a majority stake in nearby Rivers Casino in Des Plaines.
In a letter to the Antitrust Bureau of Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office, Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association President Mike Campbell urged the state’s top legal officer to investigate whether Churchill violated state or federal antitrust laws by quashing the potential for casino gambling — or even continued pari-mutuel wagering on horse races — at Arlington in order to prevent competition with Rivers just 12 miles away.
“Churchill executives evidently engaged in a campaign to block current and future gaming scenarios at Arlington while telegraphing messages to deflect public attention from its actual intent: shielding Rivers from a major gaming competitor in close proximity,” Campbell wrote in his April 29 letter to Antitrust Bureau Chief Blake Harrop. “Whether Churchill’s steps rose to the level of illegal anticompetitive behavior, we respectfully submit, is worthy of your review.”
The full letter is here.
- Give Us Barabbas - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 7:23 am:
I think they have a case. But by the time it winds through the courts, will it be academic, because the track will be built over? Can the horsemen get injunctive relief in the meanwhile? I kinda doubt it.
- Nagidam - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 7:37 am:
Anyone watching the gaming issue in Springfield understands Arlington took an about face on gaming at the track after Churchill Downs purchased Rivers casino. An investigation like this is warranted. The investigation should be completed before the state moves forward in awarding other casino licenses that Rivers has bid on like Lake County and the City of Chicago (if they bid on Chicago).
- Collinsville Kevin - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 7:59 am:
I think the Chicago horsemen had better get used to racing at Hawthorne.
- Can - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 8:30 am:
I think Collinsville Kevin is right. Also, I’m not sure the horsemen have an antitrust case here, but maybe I’m wrong.
A long-term solution for Illinois racing is let Hawthorne race thoroughbreds for their fall-winter meet and harness races for their spring-summer meet. And have Fairmount race thoroughbreds during the spring-summer and harness races during fall-winter. Both breeds would get year-round racing and would help stabilize the two industries here in Illinois. Because I’m not sure if we’ll ever see the new harness track that got approved in 2019.
- Anon E Moose - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 8:36 am:
TIL Horsemen means people who practice equestrianism.
- DEE - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 9:04 am:
I think even Tom DeVore wouldn’t take this case. ITHA would probably be better off lobbying for more zoning law restrictions on the property (and demolition of the facility) to lower potential sales price of the property (for purposes other than a racetrack)so the Horseman’s offer to buy makes sense to CDI’s stockholders.
- Bud's Bar Stool - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 9:08 am:
=== The investigation should be completed before the state moves forward in awarding other casino licenses that Rivers has bid on like Lake County and the City of Chicago (if they bid on Chicago). ===
Absolutely.
It’s obvious to anybody paying attention that Churchill put the kibosh on Arlington to limit the competition facing Rivers.
Why not make a formal determination of whether Churchill, in whatever backroom deal it made with Bluhm, violated the law? Pretty sure that’s what the horsemen are getting at.
- JoanP - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 9:13 am:
= I think even Tom DeVore wouldn’t take this case. =
It’s a wonder he hasn’t sued to bar blinders on horses.
- walker - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 9:32 am:
They have a rational argument. Whether they have a winnable case is beyond my expertise.
Since we’re stirring the retrospective pot, I believe that if Mayor Lightfoot had demonstrated a clue about a winning casino strategy and location early on for Chicago, then CDI wouldn’t have gambled on Rivers in the first place.
- @misterjayem - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 9:39 am:
“TIL Horsemen means people who practice equestrianism.”
The Horsemen are the symbol of excellence — the people that make things happen.
And whether you like it, or you don’t like it, learn to love it — ’cause it’s the best thing going today‼
Wooo‼
– MrJM
- WL - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 11:02 am:
Mr. Campbell letter is very persuasive and it seems he has a case. I hope the AG looks into this. And this is only the first step; a suit against Churchill is likely forthcoming. The demise of Arlington is not guaranteed.
- Payback - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 12:09 pm:
“I hope the AG looks into this.” I would advise the horse industry not to hold their breath if they expect Kwame Raoul to get off his chair about almost anything. Last time I looked at the IL AG website a couple of weeks ago, there was no internal search box function. Raoul and his staff don’t do much of anything, but they excel at passing the buck.
Raoul did issue a press release with some other state AG’s about the Texas voting in the last presidential election or something, so he is good at self promotion and getting involved in issues outside the state of Illinois.
- Ralp - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 12:40 pm:
= not to hold their breath if they expect Kwame Raoul to get off his chair about almost anything =
Good observation - Kwame has kept a decidedly low profile.
Given Kwame’s link to Bluhm, one would imagine he’d be less than enthusiastic about peering under the Rivers Casino hood.
- Oxfordian - Thursday, May 27, 21 @ 1:04 pm:
– Last time I looked at the IL AG website a couple of weeks ago, there was no internal search box function. –
Last time I looked at the ILAG website, half of it was inaccessible due to a massive ransomware attack from Russia that remains unresolved.