Churchill Downs Inc. deceived Illinois elected officials and our state's racing industry when it leveraged the support of horsemen and other racing stakeholders to win passage of a gaming expansion measure that will boost the profits at its Rivers Casino – only to then abandon its years-long plan to develop a racino at Arlington Park. Now Churchill is threatening the future of live racing at Arlington by refusing to commit to a contract with the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association that will adequately fund overnight purses in 2020. Arlington was required under this state's new gaming law to sign a contract with the ITHA by Tuesday, Dec. 31. Now that the deadline has expired, the track is out of compliance with the law. The law states: “A contract with the appropriate thoroughbred or standardbred horsemen organization shall be negotiated and signed by the organization licensee before the beginning of each calendar year.”