Fort Erie To Close Raceway, More Bad News For Horse Racing Industry

December 31 will mark another sad day for the horse racing industry, in what has already been a difficult year. That is the date that the 115-year-old Fort Erie Race Track will close its doors for the last time.

The closing of the track was attributed to the end of the Slots at Racetracks program earlier this year, as well as OLG’s decision to leave Fort Erie out of its new “gaming zones.”

Fort Erie is the second major Ontario horse racing track to announce it will close its doors after Windsor Raceway announced it will cease operations at the end of this season.

240 jobs will be lost because of the decision to close Fort Erie Race Track. Fort Erie’s slots were closed completely this year, along with other border city facilities including Hiawatha in Sarnia, and at Windsor Raceway.

Along with the direct job loss at Fort Erie, hundreds of other related workers in the Niagara region are expected to lose their jobs because of this decision.

Local discussion has been sparked yet again as residents fear for the future of Dresden Raceway. Races run in Dresden each Sunday this summer.