Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
6-2022
Department
Equine Industry
Abstract
The Commonwealth of Kentucky currently has 5 thoroughbred racing tracks and 3 harness racing tracks (Mint Julep Louisville 2021). As Table 1 below shows[1], the industry employees roughly 6,000 people (direct jobs), and these jobs annually support another 1,500 jobs or so throughout the state. These 1,500 jobs are jobs that are provided by the suppliers to the horse race tracks (indirect jobs) and jobs that are created by the spending of the race track employees and the employees of suppliers on food, housing, transportation, and clothing by vendors and retailers throughout the state (induced jobs). The direct jobs generate in 2019 dollars around $170 million in payroll, and these in turn support another $69 million in payroll among race track suppliers and other businesses in the state. With regard to state domestic product, the tracks create over a half-billion dollars in output while their suppliers and supported businesses contribute another $223 million in domestic product. As of 2021, Kentucky state gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated to be $190 billion.
ThinkIR Citation
Lambert, Thomas E., "The Economic Impact of Horse Racing Tracks and Historical Horse Racing in Kentucky" (2022). Faculty Scholarship. 773.
https://ir.library.louisville.edu/faculty/773
ORCID
0000-0003-2453-1407
