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South Dakota Facing Decline Is Horse-Racing Industry
Brown Country Fairgrounds in Aberdeen is one of two tracks in the state that conductsQuarter Horse racing.

© American News Photo by John Davis
South Dakota Facing Decline Is Horse-Racing Industry

ABERDEEN, SD—MAY 27, 2017—According to an AP report published yesterday a struggling horse-racing industry in South Dakota is forcing officials to question whether they should hold future races in two cities.

The Aberdeen News reports that with the Northeast Area Horse Races this weekend in Aberdeen, horse owners are seeing dwindling purse amounts that would be paid out to them.

The only other city in the state that holds horse races is Fort Pierre.

Jerry Oxner, president of the South Dakota Quarter Horse Racing Association, says it's possible officials will have to move races to just one city to continue business. Race officials haven't decided which town would go.

The South Dakota Commission on Gaming says money wagered on horse racing decreased nearly 13 percent during the last fiscal year, amounting to about $170,000.