The bill “segregated” horse racing casino gambling at Gulfstream Park was “deferred and withdrawn indefinitely,” state records show.
Ocala, Fla. — This year, we proposed legislation to allow gambling to continue at major Florida facilities.
The regular legislative meeting was extended until June 6th. In May, according to each of the bill’s web pages, the “decoupling” bill was “decoupling” on May 6th “was postponed indefinitely, deferred consideration and withdrawn from consideration.”
If the bill became law, the measure would have allowed South Florida’s Gulfstream Park to continue its casino operations without requiring it to continue being utilized in thoroughbred races.
The casino was originally permitted to be added to existing horse racing tasks at Gulfstream Park. Under these conditions, a portion of the revenue from Gulfstream Park’s gambling operations would be reinvested into horse racing there.
However, 1/st, the Canadian owner of the racecourse, wants the ability to “separate” from horse racing. 1/ST publicly supported the legislation and lobbyed for its passage.
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Florida horse racing supporters are worried that truck owners will put an end to horse racing as there is no legal requirement to continue racing at Gulfstream Park. Then 1/ST says it can focus on more profitable casino businesses and develop land that was previously used for horse trajectories and barns.
The Epoch Times contacted a spokesman for 1/ST and requested comments on the company’s plans to continue funding future legislative efforts. No comments were received by publication time.
1/ST also owns the Maryland Jockey Club and Santa Anita Park in California. It will host an equestrian event during the 2028 Olympics in the Los Angeles area.
Some people who oppose the law spoke during the Epoch era, when they weren’t celebrating victory as they were already worried that similar efforts would become stronger at next year’s legislative meeting.
If the proposed decoupling law in Florida had become law, it would have been a fatal blow to the state’s thoroughbred industry and many of the businesses and jobs that rely on it, they said.
“Gulfstream doesn’t want to participate in the horse racing business any more,” Barry Eisaman, owner of the Equine Veterinary and Thoroughbred Training Facility in Ocala, told the Epoch Times.
“We must collectively create plans for what life will look like after Gulfstream. These bills could pass next year.”
Barry Eisaman, owner of the Equine Veterinary and Thoroughbred Training Facility, is waiting for the young horse to arrive at the racetrack at the Ocala Breeders sales facility in Ocala, Florida on April 10, 2025. Natasha Holt/Epoch Times
Over the next few months, he and other industry leaders in the state will be working on planning how to keep horse racing in Florida. In addition to Gulfstream, there is a thoroughbred racing business in Tampa Bay Downs, Tampa. But for horse racing in Florida, Gulfstream is the most important facility for the state’s industry, Isaman said.
If it’s stopped at Gulfstream, plans to support Florida’s horse racing could include building new trucks and revitalizing older trucks for the state, he said.
“It’s all on the table. But we need to devise a plan now.”
Stagnant effort
Legislative advances suddenly fell into a dead end after Gov. Ron DeSantis signaled with insiders rocking horses at a private meeting in Ocala. According to people at the conference, DeSantis said the economic impact on the state was too devastating at a gathering at a horse sales facility that was closed to the media.
Ocala is part of the countryside of Marion County, located in the heart of the state. According to the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners’ Association, nearly half of the local work is related to horse-related activities.
The county has about 75,000 horses, the association said. And horse activity there contributed $4.3 billion to Florida’s economy. Statewide, 122,000 jobs come from the horse industry, with 30% related to thoroughbreds, the association said.
According to the association, horse enthusiasts visit states around the world from all over the world each year to watch and participate in equestrian sports. These visitors spend around $2.7 billion a year on travel, meals and lodging in the state, the association said.
Opponents of the proposed bill said the measure would destroy the state’s major economic driver, boasting the nation’s third largest horse population, and the region that itself is the “horses capital of the world.”
On April 10, 2025, a two-year-old thoroughbred joined a potential buyer who has been past potential buyers through horse sales at Ocala Breeders’ sales facility in Ocala, Florida. Natasha Holt/Epoch Times
Betting on horse racing has been the only legal form of gambling in Florida since the 1930s, when the industry began in the state. The Florida lottery began in 1988.
Then, in the early 2000s, supporters of gambling expansion in the state launched a successful campaign. They agreed to run Paris Mucha bets at facilities that would be mutually beneficial to them. Customers will begin gambling in multiple types of sports and games, with some of the profit being returned to the facilities and participants.
Allowing people to gamble on Gulfstream without the requirement to maintain horse racing would have certainly killed horse racing on that track, legislative opponents said.
Without Gulfstream Park as a racing hub, the state’s horse industry would be hit hard because it could not survive, Isaman and others said during the Epoch era. It will irreparably hurt the statewide horse racing industry where horses are raised, raised, trained and trained to race across the Gulf and across the country.
On May 3, 13 horses raised or trained in Ocala raced at the Kentucky Derby, one of the most beloved annual events in horse racing.
That same day, both Florida bills were marked dead. For now.
This “brings encouragement news to the heritage of our beloved thoroughbreds and the thousands of Floridians who will devote their lives to this proud tradition,” said Ronnie Powell, CEO of the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners’ Association, in a prepared statement.
“As we did in 2012, 2016, 2018, 2021, the FTBOA – and many jockey groups, individuals who participated in our efforts, as well as elected officials who participated in our efforts, once again defended our industry from wise decoupling attempts.”
However, Isaman and others continue to worry.
Former jockey Six Rivera will repair a thoroughbred racehorse leather halter on April 11, 2025 at Ocala Tuck Shed in Ocala, Florida. Nanette Holt/Epoch Time
Sixto Ribera worked as a jockey. Now he makes a living repairing leather products used in horse care and training. He said he was wary of hearing that the industry could be at risk.
Those involved in the state’s horse industry are right to worry, Isaman said. And the race to save Florida’s horse industry is not over.
He proposed laws to separate gambling from horse racing, he said, “I’ll probably come back next year and the next year.”
Nanette Holt contributed to this report.
