Horseracing in Presidio? It Could Happen After November
Presidio County could be the new place for people in Midland and Odessa go to bet on the horses.
According to NewsWest 9, voters in Presidio County are going to head to the polls this November to vote on two referendums on pari-mutuel and simulcast betting will be approved in the county.
Presidio Desert Downs is already the name for the proposed racetrack if the two proposals pass during the election.
Joe Valdez is the spokesperson for the group that is planning to build the racetrack if the proposals are passed.
Valdez says the racetrack could help the city of Presidio grow.
"We have ICE, Border Patrol and the Presidio Independent School District, those are the largest employers in the area," said Valdez. "Of course, we have the local shops and those kinds of things, but that's it. We don't have anything else and we keep losing people."
Valdez is the one that decided to approach the Presidio County Commissioners Court to get the proposal in motion.
"The county had to have a vote to be able to legalize pari-mutuel and simulcast betting and so from there we contacted the county judge and the commissioners," said Valdez. "They put it to vote to see if the November 2nd election would be a great place to put that in. They agreed and so here we are about to vote on it."
Pari-mutuel betting allows bets to be placed in person where the event is happening while simulcast betting is when bets are placed virtually without being at the event and if voters approve both proposals it will then go to the Texas Racing Commission to be approved.
Election Day in Presidio County will be next week on November 2.