2002 - Harness Tracks of America, Inc.

HARNESS TRACKS OF AMERICA
Executive Newsletter
A daily fax and e-mail report on racing and gaming developments in North America and beyond
Stanley F. Bergstein, Editor
OHIO CANDIDATE BACKS SLOTS
Tim Hagan, the Democratic candidate for governor
in Ohio, has endorsed electronic slots at the
state’s racetracks. Hagan, who estimates he will
inherit a $2.68 billion budget deficit if he is elected,
says he thinks slots at tracks would raise $500
million a year. “I cannot offer a vision for this
state’s future without dealing with the mess I will
inherit from Bob Taft,” Hagan said, and added that
he will not back a tax increase unless the state’s
legislators refuse to support his budget plan, including
track slots. Taft opposes the idea. Hagan
currently is trailing Taft in polls by 8 percentage
points. Hagan agrees that Ohio money is being
bet elsewhere in slots, primarily in neighboring West
Virginia and Indiana, and he says, “Anyone in this
state who has any understanding of it knows what’s
going on.”
HERE COME THE BOYS AGAIN
Congress is back, and so are Bob Goodlatte and
Jim Leach and their buddies wanting to stifle
Internet gambling. They apparently are joining
forces, having drafted a letter to Majority leader
Dick Armey saying they have a new mutually
agreeable bill that “represents a carefully crafted,
narrow approach to the problem.” House Financial
Services chairman Michael Oxley of Ohio also
signed the letter, which says their proposal “is
simple. It would prohibit the use of a financial instrument
-- a credit card, check or alternative payment
system -- in unlawful Internet gambling transactions.
It would require a determination by bank
regulators or a court order that the transaction is
unlawful and would prohibit the bank or credit card
company from processing the transaction.” Perhaps
the most ominous aspect of the letter is that
it also was signed by Rep. Frank Wolf of Virginia,
perhaps the most vocal -- and up
until now the most futile -- opponent of
gambling in the U.S. Congress.
September 5, 2002
One influential Congressman, W. J. (Billy) Tauzin
of Louisiana, called the new compromise “satisfying.”
He said any bill can be improved, and he
thinks the authors of the new measure “are moving
in the right direction.” Should the bill pass the
House, it still would face action in the Senate.
COUNT TOTE MANAGERS IN
The upcoming 10th annual International Simulcast
Conference, jointly sponsored by TRA, HTA, and
the American Quarter Horse Race Track Association
in conjunction with the American Greyhound
Track Operators Association, will feature
special sessions for mutuel managers to discuss
and devise solutions for tote-related issues. There
will be two scheduled breakout sessions during the
conference reserved for mutuel managers, and
they also will be invited to discussions of the RCI
Tote Standards Committee on Sunday, Sept. 22.
The Conference itself starts Monday afternoon,
Sept. 23 and ends Wednesday noon, the 25th. Account
wagering, international betting, post time coordination,
inter-departmental cooperation and
communication, marketing to simulcast patrons
through OTB outlets and the quality of telecasts
also are on the Conference agenda. Registration
deadline is Friday, Sept. 13, with the registration
fee for HTA members $95, but the hotel group rate
of $135, single or double, plus tax, at the Bal
Harbour Sheraton in Bal Harbour, Florida, closes
tomorrow. Visit www.tra-online.com or call Tony
DeMarco at TRA, 410-392-9200, for further details
on registration. The Bal Harbour Sheraton
number for hotel reservations is 305-865-7511.
FILION LIKED OHIO WELCOME
Herve Filion, warmly welcomed at Northfield Park
last weekend, returns to the track Saturday for 12
more drives.