Amid Pa. budget standoff, Wolf may suspend horse racing

    Gov. Tom Wolf is warning that he may suspend horse racing in Pennsylvania in a week because a state budget stalemate has compounded the troubles of the State Racing Fund.

    Wolf’s spokesman Jeff Sheridan said Thursday that the four-month budget stalemate with the Legislature has left the state without the resources to prop up the fund. The administration will shut down racing Oct. 30 if a solution isn’t reached before then, Sheridan said.

    Six Pennsylvania tracks offer thoroughbred or harness racing. A spokesman for Penn National, which operates a track in suburban Harrisburg, said a similar situation occurred in 2013 and a shutdown was avoided.

    The fund pays for various state regularly functions over the industry and is funded by a tax on wagers, which have steadily declined for years.

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