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
MINOR LEAGUES IN MAJOR SITE
Take me out to the ball game.....at the Meadowlands.
That’s the cry of political leaders in northern
New Jersey, who want to bring minor league
baseball -- and not automobile racing -- to the
Meadowlands Sports Complex. The nice thing
about it is that both the Republican incumbent as
Bergen County executive, William (Pat) Schuber,
and this year’s Democratic candidates for the post,
think it’s a good idea. One, Dennis McNerney,
announced he was in favor of it, and no sooner had
done so when Schuber said he had been working
on the deal for the last several weeks with a central
New Jersey automobile dealer who is gung ho
to go. More important by far, the Sports and Exposition
Authority boss, George Zoffinger, reportedly
thinks it is “a great idea” and says he is excited
by the prospect. State senator Henry
McNamara, who is running against McNerney this
fall, had the politician’s perfect answer to the proposal:
“I’m not against it as long as we’re not
paying for it.” McNerney had a few words about
NASCAR at the Meadowlands, too. “The last
thing Bergen County needs is a NASCAR racetrack
with all the traffic, noise and pollution that
comes with it. NASCAR does not work for the
citizens of Bergen County.”
BAD NEWS FOR BUFFALO
Mickey Brown, the casino planner who was responsible
for the development of Foxwoods in
Connecticut and now is working with the Seneca
Indian Nation, says construction will start next
Monday on a $100 million gambling casino at the
Niagara Falls, NY, convention center, just a month
after Gov. George Pataki signed a compact that
allows the Senecas to build there and in Buffalo.
Brown says plans call for 2,600 slot machines and
80 gaming tables, accommodating some
4,000 gamblers. He hopes to be operating
by New Year’s Eve.
September 10, 2002
NOT IN NEBRASKA, YOU DON’T
Proponents of slots at bars and restaurants across
Nebraska were looking forward to a November
referendum, thinking they had enough strength to
get the matter passed. Until yesterday, when a
county judge issued a 20-page injunction prohibiting
the secretary of state from putting the question
on the Nov. 5 ballot. The head of the Nebraska
Cooperative Government Commission that
had organized a successful petition drive called the
decision “a blow to the people of this state, trying
to take away their right to vote on this.” John
Gale, Nebraska’s secretary of state, said he would
take the matter to a higher court, but that the time
frame was so short he couldn’t see a ruling in time
to get the matter back on the ballot. He did not
rule it out, however, saying, “This has been an
unusual case, one that has taken a lot of twists
and turns.”
SPEAKING OF TWISTS & TURNS
An interesting case has surfaced in Evansville,
Indiana, where a gambler is suing Aztar corporation,
operator of the Tropicana in that city. Gamblers
sue gaming operators frequently, but this one
is unique. Aztar previously had barred him from
its riverboat, then lured him back, according to the
plaintiff, who says he became addicted and lost
everything he had. Aztar has filed for summary
judgment, but the Rev. Tom Grey, always looking
for cannon fodder, says the case is the kind of
“black eye” that some governors and attorneys
general are likely to jump on in an election year.
You can be sure the good reverend will make certain
they know of it, chapter and verse.
BANKRUPTCY FOR EMERALD
A federal judge in Chicago has ordered the Emerald
Casino to file for bankruptcy today. The town
of Rosemont thinks it gives them more time to
fight for the casino many think they have
lost.