MTR Gaming Group shuts down Jackson harness track

CHESTER, W.Va. - MTR Gaming Group Inc. announced Thursday it has closed the Jackson Harness Raceway in Jackson, Mich.

In a two-paragraph statement, the casino and racetrack operator said it will not schedule either live or simulcast racing at the track in 2009.

MTR had steadily lost money on the track since acquiring a 90 percent interest in Jackson Trotting Association LLC, which operates the track, in 2005. Live racing runs from late-April to mid-July.

About 40 year-round employees are affected, along with 110 seasonal workers, according to MTR's most recent annual report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Last month, MTR laid off 93 workers at its flagship property, Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort in Chester.

MTR had raised the prospect of cutbacks in October during a discussion of its third-quarter performance, which included a double-digit gain in overall revenues but a loss of $8.2 million.

That included a $2.8 million operating income loss on the Jackson track, compared with an operating loss of just $256,000 in the same period last year.

MTR also owns Presque Isle Downs & Casino in Erie, Pa., and owns or has interests in tracks in Ohio and Minnesota.

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