Pennsylvania taxpayers are forced to subsidize an industry built on the exploitation of horses.

Since 2004, the Race Horse Development Fund has diverted casino slot machine tax revenue into horse racing, sending more than $3 billion to the industry. Today, over $200 million in public funds is spent every year to increase race purses, fund breeder incentives, and promote racing. These subsidies benefit wealthy owners and trainers while draining resources that could support schools and communities across Pennsylvania.

Behind the spectacle of the racetrack lies a brutal reality. Horses are pushed beyond their physical limits, raced while injured, and discarded when they can no longer perform. Thousands of horses have died at racetracks across the United States in recent years. These deaths are not rare accidents. They are the predictable outcome of an industry that prioritizes profit over animal welfare.

Proponents often claim the subsidies protect jobs. But across the country, former racetracks have been successfully redeveloped into thriving spaces that create new employment, housing, and economic activity. Pennsylvania should invest in the future, not continue pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into an outdated and harmful industry.

It is time to end taxpayer funding for horse racing.

Sign the petition urging Governor Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania lawmakers to end these subsidies:
https://www.change.org/p/governor-shapiro-end-the-subsidized-abuse-and-killing-of-horses-in-pennsylvania

Find and contact your Pennsylvania legislators:
https://www.palegis.us/find-my-legislator