By Steven Allen Adams
For The Intelligencer of Wheeling
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Wheeling cannot afford to lose greyhound racing at Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack and the tax revenue it brings in, Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron told the state Senate Finance Committee Monday, as the city continues to suffer from the loss of Ohio Valley Medical Center.
The committee, though, passed through Senate Bill 285 by a 10-6 vote. The bill would eliminate the fund that contributes to the purses for greyhound racing at two state casinos –Wheeling Island and Mardi Gras Casino in Kanawha County. The bill will be up for first reading in the Senate Wednesday.
SB 285 would eliminate the fund by July 1. The bill was introduced on Jan. 21 by Senate President Mitch Carmichael, R-Jackson. If passed by the Legislature, the bill would eliminate the nearly $17 million transfer from wagers on table games and video lottery machines to the fund. Instead, SB 285 would transfer that funding to the Excess Lottery Revenue Fund for distribution by the Legislature.
