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Animal-rights charity PETA is urging the New York government to end horse racing bailouts to ‘save school and hospitals’ amid the coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis.
The charity has called on NY’s Governor Andrew Cuomo and state legislators to remove casino subsidies given the horse racing industry – and for the funds to be redirected to ‘critical human services that are facing deep cuts because of the pandemic’.
PETA claims more than $2 billion has been given to horse racing over the past decade – while schools and hospitals may lose 20 percent of their funding due to Covid-19*.
‘Support itself’
“Horse racing is a sanctioned gambling business in New York. But unlike the casinos and lotteries that return billions to the state, racing drains hundreds of millions a year in earmarked subsidies,” says PETA.
“Hundreds of thousands of other private businesses in New York receive no public bailout yet create millions of jobs and generate hundreds of billions in economic impact.
“Let the racehorse owners, breeders, and celebrity trainers fund the deficits they have created. An industry with $2.5 billion in annual wagering [revenue] can and should support itself.”
*PETA states that Gov. Cuomo warned that schools, hospitals, and localities should be prepared to lose 20 percent of their funding because of the pandemic.
