Ellis Park Wants to Begin Instant Racing

Ellis Park took a hit at the betting window at its just-concluded 2011 live racing meet and saw a significant drop in the number of horses per race, the racetrack reported Tuesday. Nonetheless, owner Ron Geary said he will ask for live racing dates in 2012. He says he also plans to make application in October to install Instant Racing machines at Ellis to generate more revenue and help it compete with racetracks in some neighboring states that have full track-side casinos. If approved, the slot machine-like devices would likely be installed this winter, according to Geary.