Ontario Horse Racing Industry
There are 18 racetracks in the Province of Ontario. Of these tracks, 15 are Standardbred; one is Thoroughbred; one is Thoroughbred and Standardbred combined, and the other is Quarter-horse. Ontario has more races dates than any other jurisdiction in North America. Horse racing is a year round sport, with both live racing in the Province and simulcast racing brought in from other jurisdictions.

Regulatory Controls
The horse racing industry is regulated both provincially and federally. The Ontario Racing Commission (ORC) regulates racing, while the Canadian Pari-mutuel Agency CPMA regulates pari-mutuel wagering.

Horse Racing is an important agricultural industry which generates significant employment, particularly in rural Ontario, with economic benefits to the overall provincial economy. The horse racing industry employs Ontarians in the equivalent of 30,000 full time jobs. The industry spends over $1.2 billion a year and is Ontario’s third largest agricultural industry. It is also part of the gaming sector, competing with government-operated lotteries and sports betting and government-sanctioned casinos and charitable gaming.

They were lucky the agreement lasted as long as it has, the end result will be devastating to all in the ONT horse racing industry.