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Board’s Ex-Attorney Urges Return of State’s Horse Racing Simulcasts

By Beacon Staff

HELENA – A former attorney for the horse racing board sent an e-mail to several officials Monday, requesting the Department of Livestock, the Business Advisory Horse Racing Committee and governor’s office to soon make a decision to finance Montana’s hobbled horse racing industry, saying that it is ready to collapse under neglect.

Sherry K. Meador’s e-mail stated data is incomplete, “significant decisions are being made, and opportunities lost, contrary to the statutory authority granted to the Board of Horse Racing and to the purpose upon which the Horse Racing Business Advisory Council was established.”

Meador was let go as the board’s attorney Feb. 23, she said it was because her contract had expired and there were not in a position to renew.

In December, the Board of Horse Racing suspended simulcasting for up to two months while an advisory committee appointed by the governor determined why the board lost an estimated $535,000 operating off-track betting at eight sites in Billings, Butte, Great Falls, Helena, Kalispell and Missoula.

Christian Mackay, Department of Livestock director, told Montana Watchdog last week no decision had been made as to when simulcasting would return.

He also said the racing would not return “with us as network provider until we find someone with the expertise who can prove it will be cash positive.”

The BOHR began managing the simulcasting in November 2010, after ending its contract with Montana Entertainment, which took over in 2009. In December, Ryan Sherman was fired as executive secretary of the BOHR.

Prior to that, the state had a longtime contract with a nonprofit group, Montana Simulcast Partners, which, by all accounts, had successfully managed the racing.

The Legislative Audit Committee was told recently the Department of Livestock (DOL), which works with the BOHR, hoped to get a third-party audit to help determine what went wrong. DOL does accounting services for the BOHR.

And part of the mystery involves finding six of the contracts with the eight vendors who operated simulcasts in six cities.

Officials said recently that they hope to recruit Tom Tucker, who for 18 years he and his company ran simulcasts of horse racing in Montana until the BOHR went with someone else in 2008. Tucker said in those 18 years his company brought $8 million to state coffers.

Several officials involved with having Tucker come in an audit the program now say the $5,000 needed was not approved. Mackay said there is no funding currently available to hire Tucker.