Columbus, OH --- Lawmakers in New Hampshire are considering a budget proposal that would permit tracks to drop live racing and concentrate solely on simulcast wagering, and make racetracks pay directly for the services provided by the state’s racing commission.

Some lawmakers say that the cost of regulating live racing has become a drain on the state’s budget, bringing in far less than the industry returns in direct taxes. But Ed Callahan, the chief executive at Rockingham Park, doesn’t see much merit in the proposal.

"I don't think they understand that we already pay taxes," Callahan told the Concord (N.H.) Monitor. He noted that “The Rock” paid a total of about $2.5 million to the state last year. "We would love to continue live racing. We have thousands of horse people who are involved and they look forward to coming to New Hampshire to race in the summers."

A spokesman for the state racing commission told lawmakers that the cost of regulating live racing in 2008 came to $478,000 in direct costs for salaries, benefits and travel reimbursements for commission employees, including commission inspectors and judges.

The newspaper reported that at Rockingham $1.4 million of the $65.8 million bet at the track in 2008 was bet on live harness racing and the remainder on simulcast races. It also said the state received $18,604 in taxes on live handle at The Rock, and just a bit less than $1 million from simulcast wagering.

A spokesman for The Lodge at Belmont Greyhound Park told the newspaper that the dog track would cease live racing immediately if the proposal, which reduces the minimum length of a live meet from 50 days to zero for a track to be granted simulcast privileges, is passed.