The Illinois Racing Board (IRB) has suspended all harness racing at Hawthorne Race Course indefinitely.
IRB Executive Director Domenic DiCera informed Suburban Downs, Inc., the entity licensed to conduct harness racing at the Chicago-area track, in a letter on Jan. 26 that it has suspended that license effective immediately.
In a release, the IRB stated that the track, which is the only operational one in the Chicago area, failed to prove its “financial integrity” or that it was capable of meeting the minimum standards outlined in the Horse Racing Act needed to operate the meet. Harness racing at Hawthorne had gone silent in recent weeks, with a number of races canceled over the past few weekends.
Horsemen’s association revealed bounced paychecks
“Today, the Illinois Racing Board made a very difficult decision to suspend the operating license of Suburban Downs,” wrote DiCera in the release. “Unfortunately, their financial difficulties, including failure to provide financial documents showing their ability to operate assigned 2026 race dates, have led us to suspend their license.”
DiCera added that the IRB may restore Hawthorne’s license to run harness racing if it can prove it is able to meet all requirements.
The suspension comes after the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association (IHHA) stated publicly earlier in January that checks issued by Hawthorne were bouncing.
“For the second time in a matter of weeks, the Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association (IHHA) has been made aware that checks issued by Hawthorne Race Course have been returned unpaid by banks,” wrote IHHA President Jeff Davis. “This is another embarrassing failure of Hawthorne Race Course. We cannot take Hawthorne’s word that this second round of bounced checks is an anomaly. Horsemen’s livelihoods depend on this money and we are well beyond the point where we can trust what Hawthorne tells us.”
DiCera confirmed in the letter he sent to Suburban Downs CEO Tim Carey on Jan. 26, obtained by SBC Americas via FOIA request, that Suburban Downs is in arrears with its payments to the IHHA from August 2025 to January 2026, and that purse checks from to horsemen have been returned unpaid due to ongoing issues between Suburban Downs and its bank.
IHHA Executive Director Tony Somone told the Paulick Report that, as of mid-January, a total of around half a million dollars in checks to horsemen had bounced.
Legislators proposes opening up competition
In light of the missed pay and canceled race dates, the IHHA formally asked the IRB to explore alternative options.
“Our position remains unchanged: racing should not resume until horsemen have reliable access to their earned funds,” wrote Davis on Jan. 22.
That call to arms from the IHHA came after the association publicly supported a bill that was considered by Illinois legislators last year that would open a new harness racetrack and racino in southern Cook County.
Sen. Patrick Joyce’s SB 1473, which would remove a veto on opening another racetrack and racino near Hawthorne, progressed through several committee discussions in the second half of 2025. An amended version currently resides with the Senate Assignments Committee.
Fanatics switches mobile betting partner
As well as offering horse racing, Hawthorne is the sports betting partner of Fanatics Sportsbook via a license that Fanatics Betting and Gaming inherited from its takeover of PointsBet’s U.S. operations. That agreement currently runs until September 2028.
A Fanatics spokesperson confirmed to SBC Americas that it will continue operating its retail sportsbook at Hawthorne, but that it has switched its mobile sports betting license partner from Hawthorne to PENN Entertainment’s Argosy Casino Alton, near St. Louis, Missouri.
“Fanatics Sportsbook customers in Illinois will not see any disruption to our online sports betting app, but we did get regulatory approval to switch our online license,” the operator said in a statement. “Customers will receive a notice of the change via an in-app message and all of their bets and funds will be available in the Fanatics Sportsbook app. We will still operate our retail locations at Hawthorne Racetrack and its corresponding OTB locations.”
