Federal Court Finds Congressional Regulation of Interstate Horseracing Wagering Preempts Ohio Law

By Chris E. Wittstruck, Esq. Racehorse Ownership Institute at Hofstra University   A federal district court judge in Ohio has found that a three decades old congressional scheme which regulates the transmission of simulcast signals and wagers on horse races across state lines is so pervasive as to preempt even the best of intentioned state statutes.   The Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978 (15 U.S.C. §3001, et seq.) was promulgated to protect racetracks and their horsemen from losing