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 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 table games such as blackjack, poker, and roulette. In 2003, Joe Bob Briggs described the eco ...

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 ...

. The racetrack is nicknamed "The Mighty M" and races standardbred 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. 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 Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

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, 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 The border between Canada and the United States is the longest international border in the world. The terrestrial boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: ...

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

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 located in Monticello, New York. History It opened on February 8, 2018, and is owned and operated by Empire Resorts. It was built on the former site of the Concord Hotel. The property features of ...

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