Future of Horse Racing in New Mexico on Regulator’s Agenda

The meeting was held on Thursday and included breeders, parties representing the regulator, lawmakers and other stakeholders involved in horse racing.

New Mexico Racing Commission Holds Meeting

As reported by the Associated Press, the government body responsible for pari-mutuel horseracing, the New Mexico Racing Commission, held the meeting in Albuquerque. At the meeting, the regulator acknowledged that the horse racing industry has a significant economic impact on the state. According to the Commission, there are many stakeholders involved in the sector from breeders and licensed tracks to families making a living and fans.

Facing competition with online bets and integrity issues, the industry needs new incentives that help the stakeholders involved in the process. Yet, at the recent meeting, lawmakers and the Commission agreed that there are no universal rules that can help horse racing. What’s more, participants in the recent meeting acknowledged the continuously increasing costs and flagged issues related to the integrity of horse racing.

“Despite that everyone here has different perspectives and responsibilities, we all share the common and important goal of cultivating the state’s horse racing industry for the benefit of the public who enjoys it and the persons and families who work in it for their livelihoods,“

explained the New Mexico Racing Commission

Protecting All Stakeholders Is Important

The attorney representing the side of the horse owners, Gary Mitchell, wasn’t particularly happy with the recent meeting. He pointed out that the Commission was primarily focused on the interests of track owners and not so much on breeders. Mitchell said that horse owners and breeders represent an essential part of the industry.

Additionally, he pointed out that for most of them, horse racing doesn’t bring enough funds to cover the training and feed. This was, according to Mitchell, because a big part of the horse owners participate in low-tier races. “These are classic New Mexicans — born and raised in New Mexico, native to New Mexico, who have deep roots in agriculture and in the cultures they were raised in. How about our culture? How about us,” said Mitchell in conclusion.