Monticello Gaming and Raceway is a

harness A harness is a looped restraint or support. Specifically, it may refer to one of the following harness types: * Bondage harness * Child harness * Climbing harness * Dog harness * Pet harness * Five-point harness * Horse harness * Parrot harness * ...

racing track A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also use ...

and

racino A racino is a combined race track and casino. In some cases, the gambling is limited to slot machines, but many locations are beginning to include Casino game#Table games, table games such as blackjack, poker, and roulette. In 2003, Joe Bob Br ...

Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary plantation of Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, who began designing Monticello after inheriting land from his father at age 26. Located just outside Charlottesville, V ...

Sullivan County, New York Sullivan County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 78,624. The county seat is Monticello. The county's name honors Major General John Sullivan, who was labeled at the time as a hero in the A ...

. It is off Exit 104 of Route 17 (future Interstate 86), on

New York State Route 17B New York State Route 17B (NY 17B) is a state highway located entirely within Sullivan County, New York, in the United States. It connects the hamlet of Callicoon at its western end with the Monticello area in the east, ending at a ju ...

. 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 members of the breed compete at either a trot or pace. Developed in North America, the Standardbred is recognized worldwide, and the breed can trace i ...

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. Monticello Raceway is owned by

Empire Resorts Empire Resorts is a gaming company that owns and operates Resorts World Catskills and Monticello Raceway in the Catskill Mountains, from New York City. Headquartered in Monticello, New York, Empire Resorts is owned by affiliates of the Genting Gr ...

. 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 casino operators, including

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

, 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 one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the ma ...

vetoed any Mohawk plans for a casino saying the Mohawk reservation on the Canada–United States border 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, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

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

USS Rapidan (AO-18) USS ''Rapidan'' (AO-18), was a US Navy tanker of World War II. Rapidan was built under U.S. Shipping Board contract by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., Newport News, Virginia. It was launched on 25 October 1919 transferred to th ...

. This blow caused him to regain his sight, most likely by dislodging the shrapnel. Eventually, in February 2018, a full casino called

Resorts World Catskills Resorts World Catskills is a hotel and casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some ...

was opened nearby, also owned by the same parent company of Monticello Raceway. In April 2019, the slots and racino part of Monticello Raceway were closed for good, though racing continues as of 2022 year-round during the day, Mondays through Thursdays and on some Fridays. 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

*{{Official website, https://www.monticellocasinoandraceway.com
VLT info
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