In a significant legal victory for Florida’s horse racing industry, a state circuit court judge has dismissed Gulfstream Park’s lawsuit that sought to separate its live Thoroughbred racing requirement from its lucrative slot machine operations
The Court’s Ruling
Judge Joshua Hawkes granted the Florida Gaming Control Commission’s motion to dismiss the case on August 11, 2026, ruling against Gulfstream Park’s constitutional challenges to the state’s decoupling laws.
Gulfstream had argued that the 2021 decoupling law—which allowed other pari-mutuels (greyhound, harness racing, jai alai) to drop live events while keeping gambling operations—unconstitutionally singled out Thoroughbred tracks for different treatment . The track claimed this violated Florida’s constitutional protections against “special legislation” and denied equal protection under the law.
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https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/293788/gulfstream-park-decoupling-effort-dealt-court-setback
