Proposed horse racing at Frontier Park faces backlash

Nov. 30—CHEYENNE — There are few to no horse racing tracks within an urban area across the country. Cheyenne may be the first to have one.

Accel Entertainment, an Illinois-based multimillion-dollar company, hopes to operate a track in the heart of town at Frontier Park. The company is registered to do business in Wyoming as Frontier Racing, LLC.

At a public meeting about the proposed project Wednesday night, residents of the surrounding area came out to speak against the proposal.

Many of the concerns related to traffic, safety, noise and pollution. However, some criticized the company for encouraging gambling and its controversial legal history.

"We're very transparent. We always try and do everything really high above the law," said Kevin Jaglowski, director of corporate sales and development for Accel.

Community opposition

If realized, the track will host races on weekends between August and October. The track at Frontier Park has been dormant for decades, with the exception of limited use during Cheyenne Frontier Days, and Accel has thorough plans to update and upgrade the track and facilities to ensure safety for the animals and jockeys.

The half-mile track would host races beginning in the afternoon and end no later than 9 p.m. There wouldn't be lights on the track, so they wouldn't be able to go later, regardless.

"We can make the commitment that we won't race at night," said Mike Thiessen, a spokesperson for Accel Entertainment, at Wednesday's meeting.

Accel expects between 500 and 1,000 attendees for each event, drawing up to 500 cars to the area. All parking would be hosted at the existing lots at the park. There would be eight horses in each race, and Thiessen estimated each individual horse would generate around $20,000 in ancillary revenue.

He also cited plans to support the community in other ways, including working with Laramie County Community College or the University of Wyoming to employ and teach veterinary technicians who work with the horses, sourcing local food trucks and caterers for events, and providing around 50 jobs to the community.

Regardless, nearby residents still expressed their concern with what this development could mean to the community.

"We're going to start looking like a wannabe Vegas," one attendee said. Her concerns were echoed by others who voiced their worry that bringing more gambling to Cheyenne and to the state would be a bad influence.

Deming Elementary School is about three blocks south of the proposed track location. One attendee teaches there and said she regularly takes the children on walks through the park. She is worried the pollution, gambling and alcohol will make the park unsafe for children.

Accel representatives assured her that the racing activities would be concentrated in one portion of the park and that it would be tamer than Frontier Days.

"I have never met a kid that has not been attracted to horses," Thiessen said.

Jaglowski assured attendees that traffic would not be a large issue, either. They would have the entrance and exit onto Hynds Boulevard, not Eighth Avenue. He said cars wouldn't all arrive or leave at the same time.

"It's a different cadence and how people come and go," Jaglowski said.

Residents were also upset with the lack of transparency and communication about this project. Many had not heard of it a week ago, and received no notice of the meeting on Wednesday night. Most of them said they heard about the meeting through word-of-mouth.

CFD CEO Tom Hirsig said they will soon be entering into a 10-year lease with Accel Entertainment. The residents expressed support for CFD and what it does for the community, but were disappointed that they did not notify them of this project.

"We're your neighbors, CFD," one resident said. "The fact we didn't hear about this is alarming."

Hirsig said he has been approached by many proposals for horse racing tracks at Frontier Park during his time as CEO but has never accepted an offer. He said he is confident Accel Entertainment will be the right choice.

Corruption concerns

Beyond the details of noise, traffic and safety, many attendees were also concerned with the company's legal history.

Accel Entertainment's core business is operating video game machines, slot machines, skill machines, etc. It has a presence in 10 states, including around 1,000 employees.

Cheyenne resident Mike Daly is a fan of horse racing and was initially excited by the possibility of a nearby track. But when he did some more digging into the company's history, he said his excitement shifted to fear.

"There's allegations of so much corruption that you're breaking the rules, it blows my mind away," Daly said to the Accel representatives.

In June, the company paid $1.1 million in fines to the state of Illinois to settle a case alleging violations of state law. This ended a two-year lawsuit where Accel was initially fined $5 million.

Daly expressed that a company being sued by its home state should be investigated more carefully before being welcomed into Cheyenne.

A 2020 report from ProPublica found that the company's founder engaged in business communications with a lawyer from the Illinois Gaming Commission, who was a childhood friend. They claim that these communications were illegal.

The report also found that Accel and its subsidiaries have donated heavily to politicians like ousted Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to gain political influence and grow as a company.

Accel will seek approval from the Laramie County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday to begin official work on the track, which is set to open in August, pending state Gaming Commission approval.

Noah Zahn is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's local government/business reporter. He can be reached at 307-633-3128 or nzahn@wyomingnews.com. Follow him on X @NoahZahnn.