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Horse Racing Commission warns HISA fees could threaten Washington racing and related jobs
Summary
Commission leaders told the Senate committee that federal HISA assessment fees are rising sharply and could make horse racing financially unsustainable in Washington without legislative or other relief.
Amanda Benton, executive secretary of the Washington Horse Racing Commission, and commission Chair Doug Moore told the Senate Business, Financial Services and Trade Committee that the state’s pari-mutuel horse-racing industry has shrunk in recent decades and now faces a new financial burden from the federal Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA).
Benton summarized the commission’s regulatory responsibilities and said Emerald Downs is the only active racetrack in Washington; she said Emerald Downs plans a 51-day live-racing season beginning April 27 and ending Sept. 7. She reported that the commission issued 1,426 participant licenses in 2024 and an additional 481 licenses to associated personnel, for a total of 1,907 licenses, and that license totals have declined about 22.5% over the past decade, with the largest drop among owners and trainers.
Benton and Moore emphasized the broader economic footprint of racing: a 2019 (updated 2022) study the commission cited estimated direct and indirect annual cash flows of more than $70,000,000 and a total state economic contribution of roughly $240,000,000 when owners, breeders and related businesses are included. Benton said the industry purchases feed, hay and services locally (an estimated $20 per day to feed one racehorse during the meet, with roughly 700 horses stabled during a seven-month window — a figure the presentation equated to about $3,000,000 in local feed purchases).
Both presenters framed the federal HISA assessments as an existential threat. Benton said Washington’s 2025 assessment fee to HISA is $712,000 before credits; with a potential credit it would be about $424,000 and the commission paid $419,000 in 2024. Moore said HISA’s 2026 fee methodology change could raise Washington’s assessment to between $1,200,000 and $1,300,000 — an increase the commission says it cannot absorb. Moore said previous appropriations from the Legislature covered assessments in recent years but warned that fees at the projected level would “simply do not have the ability to pay” and that passing these costs to owners or the racing association would likely cause participants to leave the industry.
Moore and Benton urged legislative attention and said the commission submitted a regulatory “clean-up” agency-request bill (House Bill 1327) to align fees, taxes and statutory language with current industry practices. Committee members who spoke described the industry’s broad community impact, noting lost tracks and breeding farms and raising concerns about jobs and agricultural supply-chain consequences if racing declines further.
The commission asked for continued engagement and said it would provide additional materials and follow-up to committee members.
