“We did, in fact, look at that piece of property, but we haven’t made up our mind one way or another,” he said.
The raceway presently sits on the 32-acre Warren County Fairgrounds and is owned by the Warren County Commission. However, county commissioners have gone on record opposing slots gambling at the 62-year-old track, other than pari-mutuel betting.
Since then, raceway officials have stated an intent to relocate. “The Lebanon Raceway is looking to locate along (Interstate) 75,” Hagemeyer said.
Besides Moraine, he said track officials have looked at the Austin Interchange area, an undisclosed site north of Dayton and a few other Warren County properties.
The Lebanon Trotting Club, owned by the Carlo family, and Miami Valley Trotting, owned by the Nixon family, operate Lebanon Raceway through a sublease with the Warren fair board.
The owners already own about 240 acres south of the Cincinnati Premium Outlet Mall in Monroe.
Moraine Mayor Bob Rosencrans said the jury is still out on whether his city is a good fit for the raceway. “I’m not sure how the residents would perceive that,” he said. “At this point, it’s too early to say.”
The Ohio Lottery Commission on July 19 voted unanimously to ask a court to declare that the commission has the authority to set up slots at the tracks without further legislative action or a vote of the people.
The request could be made to the Ohio Supreme Court or a common pleas court — a process that could take months.
About the Author