The owner of the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans has threatened to pull out of Louisiana over court rulings that bar it from using a certain type of slot machine, saying that without those games it would be unable to turn a profit.
Churchill Downs, which has owned the Fair Grounds since 2004, would not proceed with the 2025 to 2026 racing season unless the state Legislature steps in to allow those games, a lawyer for the Louisville, Ky., firm told a packed emergency meeting of the Louisiana Racing Commission in New Orleans on Tuesday. The season usually starts on the third Friday in November.
“I take no pleasure being here today, as it is both disappointing and sad that the future of one of the nation’s oldest racetracks is now in jeopardy,” Ozair Shariff told the 12 commissioners…