There may yet be hope for ending the long stalemate between California tribes and racetracks on Internet poker. PokerNews.com has received a copy of language Assemblyman Adam Gray has floated to industry stakeholders to fill out his shell bill AB 431 from last year. The new bill may be introduced in the next week, prior to the Feb. 19 deadline for bills to be introduced in 2016. The major development in this proposed language compared to previous bills in the state is a $57 million annual stipend to the horse racing industry in exchange for acceptance not to be operators….

Austin-American Statesman – Racetrack owners in Texas are looking to inject new life into their struggling industry by turning to a controversial way of gambling that trades live horses for a slot machine-like experience. Texans in the horse and dog racing industry — the same folks who have failed time after time to attain permission to run slot machines at their properties — now are trying to stretch the definition of pari-mutuel betting as they push for a flashy and innovative form of betting called “historical racing” that they hope complies with the strict regulations outlined in the Texas Racing…

KTRH – The Texas Legislature doesn’t meet this year, but that hasn’t stopped the growing pressure on state lawmakers for legalized casino gambling in Texas.  Advocates are pushing lawmakers to approve a public vote on whether to allow casino-style gaming in the Lone Star State, arguing it would be a huge boost to the state’s economy, tax base, and overall competitiveness.  Detractors argue that the state’s economy is just fine as it is, and that legalized gambling would bring a new set of “costs” related to higher crime and societal problems associated with gaming. Among the biggest advocates of legalized…

US Poker – The dust has settled from the 140th Kentucky Derby. California Chrome celebrated in the winner’s circle on Saturday. Bettors that picked California Chrome to win took home $2.50 for every $1 bet.  Many other wagers were placed on the annual betting tradition. Churchill Downs held a large portion of the action. Win, place and show bets saw a 17.5 percent hold. Exotics had 22% taken from the prize pool. This was up from 16 percent and 19 percent in 2013, respectively. Churchill Downs booked $186.6 million in bets on Saturday across the entire race card. Winning bettors…

Bloomberg – Mongolia’s government will propose laws to set up a professional horse-racing league and legalize betting to compete for the Chinese gambling market. The government may approach the Hong Kong Jockey Club with a proposal to have jockeys and horses race in Mongolia when they’re not competing in the former British colony, Culture Minister Oyungerel Tsedevdamba said in an e-mail. The Hong Kong horse racing season runs from early September to mid-July. “Our priority is to make the legal environment for a jockey club operation so that we can have a market share” of the Asian jockey business, Oyungerel…

Park City Daily News – On Kentucky Derby night 2012 someone murdered Adan Perez. The groom’s body was found in a backside barn at Churchill Downs. No arrest has happened, and almost two years later the case has grown cold. This sad and unresolved situation is symbolic of so much in thoroughbred horse racing now. Despite plenty of positive (as chronicled in a preceding column) there are several serious problems that prevent racing from reaching its full potential and returning to its past position in the pantheon of America’s most popular sports. One stark reminder of racing’s darker side is…