CHICAGO — Illinois enacted a sweeping law in 2019 to allow casinos at horse racing tracks, known as racinos. Nearly five years later, Hawthorne Race Course, a main beneficiary of the legislation, still hasn’t opened a racino. In the meantime, the industry is dying for lack of money.

Part of that legislation gave Hawthorne officials an extraordinary monopoly: They have the sole power to veto any proposal to build a harness track with a casino within 35 miles.

Out of desperation, the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association is now calling for the state to end Hawthorne’s veto power. The horsemen say the favoritism for Hawthorne has led to a dead end, and it’s time to let the free market finally build a racino.

“Our industry is being held hostage by Tim Carey’s family, who owns Hawthorne,” association President Jeff Davis said. “We have to have a dedicated harness track.”

Carey proposed a $400 million racino to open at Hawthorne in 2021. In 2022, he again promised construction would begin that year. Last fall, Carey told the Illinois Racing Board it would open by the end of 2024, but in February, he said he was still working on getting financing.

Asked for an update, Hawthorne issued a statement:

“We remain fully committed to developing a new harness track to complement racing at Hawthorne, as was intended in the legislation. We are the only Illinois business with the proven experience, integrity and wherewithal to do so. Our $400 million redevelopment of Hawthorne is the most significant investment ever made into the Illinois racing industry and is the beginning of an exciting new future for the tens of thousands of jobs that we support across the state.”

State law names seven townships in southwest Cook County where one harness track with a casino may be built. Other proposals have surfaced to build a racino in those townships.

Last year, Greenway Entertainment Group proposed a harness track in Richton Park, and an end to Hawthorne’s veto power. This spring, businessman Ronald Awsumb proposed a thoroughbred track in the same town, though industry observers questioned whether the law would allow that.

In response, Hawthorne officials said they had never been approached about any legitimate, fully funded project seeking to develop a racino within 35 miles.

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