Monticello Raceway is a

harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australia ...

track and former

casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...

Monticello, New York Monticello ( ) is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village located in Thompson, New York, Thompson, Sullivan County, within the Catskills region of New York, United States. It is the seat for the town of Thompson, and the county ...

. It is owned and operated by Empire Resorts. The racetrack is nicknamed "The Mighty M" and races

standardbred The Standardbred is an American horse breed best known for its ability in harness racing where they compete at either a trot or pace. Developed in North America, the Standardbred is recognized worldwide, and the breed can trace its bloodline ...

horse races during the afternoons year-round. The current racetrack is a 1/2 mile oval. The track opened on June 27, 1958 in order to attract more people to Monticello's resort area. There had been attempts since 2000 to add a full-fledged Indian gaming casino operated by the St. Regis Mohawk tribe at the raceway, but they were met with backlash. Several

Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...

casino operators, including

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

, fought the proposal. Trump was fined for not disclosing his lobbying efforts. In January 2008,

Dirk Kempthorne Dirk Arthur Kempthorne (born October 29, 1951) is an American politician who served as the 49th United States Secretary of the Interior from 2006 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a ...

, Secretary of the

United States Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the management and conservation ...

vetoed any Mohawk plans for a casino saying the Mohawk reservation on the

Canada–United States border The international border between Canada and the United States is the longest in the world by total length. The boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Canada' ...

was too far from the track. The casino at the raceway operated under a state license permitting slot machines at designated race tracks. In 2006, the track was the site of the so-called "Monticello Miracle", in which a racehorse hit

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

veteran Don Karkos in the exact spot where he had received shrapnel and lost sight in one of his eyes during a World War II naval battle aboard . This blow caused him to regain his sight, most likely by dislodging the shrapnel. Eventually, in February 2018, a full casino named

Resorts World Catskills Resorts World Catskills is a hotel and casino located in Monticello, New York, Monticello, New York (state), New York. History It opened on February 8, 2018, and is owned and operated by Empire Resorts. It was built on the former site of the C ...

opened nearby, which was also owned by the same parent company as Monticello Raceway. In April 2019, the slots and racino part of Monticello Raceway were closed permanently, though, as of September 2023, racing continues year-round during the day from Mondays through Thursdays and on some Fridays when Monday is a holiday. There is a small OTB facility in a portion of the old racino/grandstands and an even smaller outdoor betting trailer with 1 or 2 mutuel tellers.

References

External links

*
VLT info
{{Authority control Horse racing venues in New York (state) Harness racing venues in the United States Sports venues in Sullivan County, New York 1958 establishments in New York (state) Sports venues completed in 1958 Defunct casinos in New York (state)