AIKEN, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) – The countdown begins for the Triple Crown in Aiken.
This weekend the equestrian world will turn its attention to the 81st running of the Aiken Trials, but the focus is taking a shift.
Lawmakers have not locked in a sports betting bill in Georgia or South Carolina, but it could mean big bucks for the two-state.
When it comes to sports betting, there are many conversations on both sides of the topic.
But in South Carolina, some say if passed, money generated from the bet itself could go beyond the track and the fun.
Everything is fine, but fine is just the problem.
“We’re managing to do okay. We’re not losing money now, but we’re really not making money,” said Bill Gutfarb, President of the Aikens Training Track.
He believes one of the ways to fix the problem is sports betting. Like a good bet, he’s hoping it pays.
“Our business model is about half of our revenue comes from track use and stall use. The other half comes from the trials, which are coming up in another week or so. If we could have sponsorship from these wagering entities, that would certainly help our bottom line,” said Gutfarb.
He’s hoping to cash out.
“South Carolina right now is leaving a lot of money on the table or letting it go elsewhere where we could have it here. Then it would generate money, which could come back into the state into the horse industry,” said Gutfarb. “There are things we like to do here that we really can’t like maintaining the track, we have a nice tractor, but we could use a backup. we could use a second tractor. We could use a new storage facility.”
He said racehorse owners continue to burn holes in their pockets to keep their horses in shape, healthy and on the track.
“There’s a woman here, she was just in the office a few minutes ago, she owns several horses that run in New York, and her horse ran one day and won and I said ‘Susie, did you make some money today?’ She said ‘I can’t. You guys got to get that bill passed. I can’t bet here,’” he said.
The bill is sponsored by State Senator Lee Anderson. It passed the Senate but is currently sitting in the House.
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