Arlington track’s demise down to the ominous growth of gaming | Greg Wood

The Chicago racecourse is set for demolition due to the amount of gambling revenue sucked out of punters' pockets as a fixed percentage of turnover as opposed to the placing of bets

Really?" asked the Daily Racing Form's Marcus Hersh on Twitter on Saturday above a picture of Arlington racecourse in the suburbs of Chicago. Just rip it down?"

Sadly, after 94 years as the major racetrack in America's third-largest city, it seems they really will. The 326-acre venue that staged the Arlington Million, the first race to offer a million-dollar purse, and where Rock Of Gibraltar so bravely failed to go out on a high in the 2002 Breeders' Cup Mile, has been sold to developers. The 2021 running of its biggest card five days ago is expected to be the last.