Track proposes betting parlor

Thursday, April 17, 2003 | 11:29 a.m.

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. -- The owners of an Indiana pari-mutuel track want to open a betting parlor near Louisville, Ky., that would compete with one operated by Churchill Downs.

Indiana Downs officials told members of the Clark County Council on Monday that they want to offer off-track betting in either Jeffersonville or Clarksville.

The parlor would compete directly with Churchill Downs' Trackside parlor in Louisville, Ky., which is less than five miles from both southeastern Indiana cities.

Clark County, with a population of more than 97,000 and a traditional interest in horse racing, is an especially suitable site, Indiana Downs officials said.

"We really feel Clark County is probably the strongest OTB site in the state," said Gil Short, president of business development for the Shelbyville track.

Indiana Downs also operates a betting parlor in Evansville. Churchill Downs, which operates the betting parlor in Louisville, also owns Indiana's other pari-mutuel track, Hoosier Park at Anderson.

Cash-strapped Clark County would receive a percentage of the OTB gambling receipts, which Indiana Downs officials said could amount to $100,000 a year for local government.

The proposed 25,000-square-foot parlor would take in an estimated $40 million a year and employ 70 full-time and 20 part-time workers, Short said.

County Council approval is required before it can be built, however. The council scheduled a public hearing for May 12.

Council members expressed mixed emotions, but President John Uhl acknowledged the prospect of new revenue was appealing.

"I just want to hear what the people have to say about it," he said.

Councilwoman Barbara Hollis noted that residents in the early 1990s rejected a proposal for a riverboat casino that later was built in Harrison County.

Tax money from the casino, Caesars Indiana, now helps pay for dozens of community improvement projects in Harrison County, while Clark County does not have enough money to pay its bills.

Hollis said she does not want history to repeat itself.

"If Clark County doesn't get it, it's just going to go to Scott or Harrison or Floyd counties," she said. "It's going to be in our neighborhood. We might as well reap the benefits."