AZ Dept of Racing Annual Report 2011

Waste not; want not – Arizona Department of Racing

Interpretation: Don’t want the waste of the Arizona Department of Racing

Our Arizona lawmakers talk about government waste and claim they want an overhaul. Start here – Arizona Department of Racing.

On numerous occasions I have contacted different state legislators not just where I am a constituent and asked why Tucson Greyhound Park gets singled out for hardship tax credits. Most are incredulous at first and say they will get back to me or say that I must be mistaken. I direct them to the Arizona Department of Racing annual reports – and then never hear from them again even after repeatedly following up. Even the lawmakers claiming to be animal advocates go deaf. You know who you are.

If you care about government waste – please read through the ADOR annual report.

If you didn’t even know there was an annual report for the Arizona Department of Racing, you’re in the same sinking vessel as many of your elected officials.

Here are some highlights:

Page 1
The total pari-mutuel handle for all wagering was $169 million, a decrease…

Page 2
By far the greatest highlight for the Department and its leadership this past year was of significant achievement legislatively to transition to total “self funding” over the next two years (paraphrasing – and to take the pressure off of the scarce General Fund during these trying economic times…)

Translation: The General Fund has been financing the Arizona Department of Racing’s budget for far too many years.

Page 1 a
Read about the Department of Racing commissioners in particular Thomas Kelly, DVM.

Page 2
The primary mission of the AZ Department of Racing is to regulate and supervise pari-mutuel horse and greyhound racing and wagering conducted in Arizona in order to protect racing participants and the wagering public. In addition, the Department regulates and supervises boxing and mixed martial arts events conducted in Arizona to protect participants in these events.

Note: Who are the racing participants? If you have ever gone to one of the monthly Arizona Department of Racing meetings, the words “greyhound welfare” is never mentioned. The horse jockeys are also under great stress to perform whether the turf is safe or not. This puzzles me – “to protect racing participants” – as to who that might be?

Page 5
Teletracking (off track betting) – The total handle generated by commercial and county fair racing for teletracking was $125.7 million. This included $103.1 million for horse racing and $22.6 million for greyhound racing.

Page 11
Racehorse Adoption
The Department provides grants to non-profit organizations to promote the adoption of retired racehorses in Arizona. The funds for this program are generated from a surcharge against all civil penalties assessed in connection with horse racing in Arizona. The program went into effect in 2005 and the first award was made in 2006.
Performance Measures FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011
Number of grants awarded 1 1 1
Amount of grants awarded $1,647 $1,244 $1,483

Page 12
ADOR is rather stingy when it comes to horse adoption grants especially since the total amount of pari-mutuel earnings is $120,778,307. Turf Paradise doesn’t get a hardship tax credit and paid $284,804 for state pari-mutuel revenues (2011).

Page 21 – ADOR is stingier with the greyhound adoption grants
The Department provides grants to non-profit organizations to promote the adoption of retired racing greyhounds as domestic pets. This fund receives 100% of all fees collected from licensing greyhound racing kennels, breeding farms and other operations where greyhounds are raised for racing purposes.

In FY 2009, the fund received $0.
Performance Measures FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011
Number of grants awarded 0 3 2
Amount of grants awarded $0 $375 $600

Page 25
Greyhound Racing – Tucson Greyhound Park
DISTRIBUTION OF REVENUES 2011
Returned to Wagering Public $12,361,949
State Pari-Mutuel Revenues $0 (ditto for the past 5 years and since 1995)
Track Commission – $3,265,829

Hardship Tax Credit – $472,604 (for 5 years TGP has received $1.6 million)
Total Track Revenues $3,773,306

The report gives the figures from 2007 but I’ve only listed 2011. The fiscal year is July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011.

Raise your hand if you are a small business and get a hardship tax credit too?

Raise your hand if you are a business and pay no income to the state of Arizona on your earnings?

Why does Tucson dog track have that special compensation? And they have had it since 1995…Ask your elected officials.

Page 28
Arizona Department of Racing has a $4.2 MILLION DOLLAR BUDGET.

$2.7 MILLION DOLLARS COMES FROM THE GENERAL FUND. Where does the rest of the money come from? Read the annual report.

The General Fund subsidizes the Arizona Department of Racing. If this isn’t government waste – then what is?

Next time your elected officials tell you there’s no money for this and that – tell them to go read the ADOR annual report. The General Fund is supposed to fund some of our basic necessities like education and Medicaid but instead it throws money at the Department of Racing.

And if it’s happening with ADOR – where else is it happening?