Where are the Horses?

Ever since Arkansas tracks added slot machines to their lineups, the clientele that goes to the horse racing tracks had changed substantially. For it is a clear day at Oaklawn, the horses are chomping at the bit to get racing for their fans, but where are their fans? They are inside playing the slot machines.

Even with the sun shining and the horses just beautifully running around a gorgeous sun drenched track, people would rather sit below the grandstand in a windowless room playing slot machines. Here time stands still, and there is no way of knowing if it is day or night, never mind if the sun is shining or not.

The track would also like to expand the number of slot machines that they currently offer, however, it is on hold while a lawsuit is pending against the track. The Family Action Council Committee is suing the track saying that Garland County residents outside of the Hot Springs city limits should have been allowed to vote on whether or not slot machines were legalized at the track.

But what about the track itself? It has really become more about the slot machines than it has about the horses, and considering one of the main reasons for legalizing the slot machines was to support the tracks and keep them from going out of business, aren’t they going to end up there anyway if no one is watching the horses run? At this point the horses have become secondary to the slot machines, and it is just a matter of time before they fade away – not that anyone would notice.




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