Council OK with horse racing

The Green River City Council approved a resolution allowing horse race wagering in Green River last night.

The motion was not unanimous, with Gary Killpack voting against the measure, Robert Berg abstaining and Allan Wilson absent from the meeting.

The resolution is not the final word on if wagering on races will be allowed in Green River. The Sweetwater County Commissioners will also be asked to approve the measure before the Wyoming Downs board decides if it will approve the request, which initially came from Buckley Hubert, owner of the Town Bar and Grill.

According to Cliff McCarlie, a representative of Wyoming Downs, the board doesn’t want to force horse racing into communities where it isn’t welcome, seeking resolutions from municipal and county governments as a sign of grass roots support for their expansions.

While discussing the issue, Killpack asked a number of questions regarding pari-mutuel horse racing offered by Wyoming Downs, including if any business could apply to host pari-mutuel wagering in their establishments. McCarlie said they tend to focus on sports bars and similar venues as the horse racing fits those locations better than other businesses.

Killpack, talking about why he voted against the measure, said the only benefit he would see is making a lot of money. He said he would hate to see something come into the community that would devastate it, but earn a lot of money.

“Is it the right thing for the community,” he asked.

Bobby Pineda, the city’s prosecutor, said the city’s current laws regarding gambling wouldn’t conflict with Wyoming Downs coming to Green River, saying the city’s definition of gambling is less defined than state statutes, though it could be amended.

Galen West, the city’s attorney, said if the Council decides to amend its ordinances, they still have time to do so as horse racing won’t immediately be available in the city.