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California Track Designed for Betting from Home

"The $250 million Dixon Downs racetrack and entertainment complex planned 20 miles west of Sacramento is part of Magna Entertainment's vision to rule the emerging world of television, telephone and Internet gambling. Eventually, say analysts, millions more people from Omaha to Hong Kong will bet on the horses from home, earning fortunes for firms that produce horse races and handle the wagers.

"…Says Don Erickson, ex-Dixon mayor and Magna consultant, its target audience is `the person who was brought up with MTV and is not content to sit elbow to elbow in a grandstand for 4 1/2 hours to watch 22 minutes of racing.'

"…Magna's plan to build one of the nation's most advanced racetracks is just the newest twist in a corporate drama that has wowed the horse world since 1998. That's when Magna, an auto parts firm based in Ontario, Canada, began bidding for horse and dog racing tracks, eventually buying 14 in nine states and one Canadian province.

"The company's plan is to `become a major owner of racing content, live racing, which you get by owning race tracks,' Magna CEO Jim McAlpine said. Then the company hopes to reach `as many customers at home, in sports bars and hotels as we can.'

"…In Dixon, a one-high-school town of 17,000, city officials have begun processing plans for 1,600 horse stalls, a 260-room dormitory for groomers, a one-mile track with 1,800 grandstand seats and a three-story 5,000-seat `simulcast center' for bettors to watch North American races on TV. The complex on Interstate 80 would open in 2006.

"Magna also plans 1.2 million square feet of off-track entertainment, copying another emerging trend on the horse track circuit: the mini Las Vegas-style resort to attract women and families. Drawings show stores built around a walking promenade with movie theaters, restaurants and hotels…"

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