Horse racing at Hastings Park in east Vancouver — B.C.’s last operating horse track — will close after more than 130 years.

In a statement, Hastings Racecourse and Casino said it is ceasing thoroughbred horse racing effective immediately.

“This was an extremely difficult decision, especially given the historical legacy of Hastings Racecourse in the local community and its importance to the province’s racing industry,” Wayne Odegard, regional vice-president for the Great Canadian Entertainment, said in a statement Friday.

He added that this was “strictly a business decision” based on the economic uncertainty to hold another season of horse racing.

However, the announcement comes just a week after the province dropped a bombshell that it was pulling slot machine revenue . Horse racing

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