Racing commission reports growth from historical horse‑racing; most revenue is passed through to purses and breeders

Chas Nichols of Senate fiscal staff presented the Louisiana State Racing Commission’s FY26 recommended budget and described recent growth in revenue tied to historical horse racing (HHR).

Nichols told the committee that the commission’s funding rose from about $11.6 million in FY18 to roughly $19.4 million in FY24 (a roughly 67% increase), largely because of the implementation and disbursement of historical horse‑racing revenues. He said the agency typically has no General Fund appropriation in normal years and that the majority of the budget is statutory or pass‑through obligations.

The presentation showed that about 62% of the commission’s proposed FY26 budget is “other charges” — payments for purse supplements, breeder awards, lab analysis of equine specimens, and statutory distributions. Nichols noted statutory distributions for HHR collections: roughly 67% of HHR collections remain with the racing commission, 11.5% go to the thoroughbred breeders association, 5% to the quarter‑horse breeders association, and two 8.25% shares go to parish governments and sheriffs at off‑track wagering facilities.

Commission executive director Steven Landry and fiscal director Tazalia Renner attended the hearing; they said the commission maintains regulatory, licensing and testing responsibilities at race tracks and distributes breeder and purse‑related funding according to statute. The commission has 89 authorized positions and reported several vacancies; Nichols noted about 17 employees (22%) are in DROP or eligible to retire.

Committee members did not take formal action; commission staff answered technical questions about distribution percentages and lab costs and said they would respond to follow‑up questions from the committee if needed.