2002 - Harness Tracks of America, Inc.

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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 BACK TO SQUARE ONE IN NY There are some things you can bet on with impunity, but the sale of New York City OTB, and who might get it if it is sold, is not one of them. New mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City spoke out yesterday, saying that before he starts thinking about selling it he needs “a great executive” to take over OTB and maximize its revenues from the $1 billion it currently handles. So much for the sale to Magna. Apparently, Bloomberg thinks the city can, or should, make more than the $35 million it currently makes off OTB. Bloomberg faces a $4 billion dollar deficit. That’s billion, with a B. He said he is not a fancier of the city being in the gambling business, but acknowledged that OTB generates “a significant amount of money,” which is a subject Bloomberg understands thoroughly. So hold your bets for the moment. Mike is studying the problem. WILL SOMEONE EXPLAIN THIS? Parris N. Glendening, the governor of Maryland, is a bitter foe of slots at the state’s tracks, and has vowed they will not happen while he rules. Yesterday, however, the Baltimore Sun reported that the state lottery, which presumably falls under the ultimate purview of the governor, is considering the possibility of Maryland participating in an international lottery, “raising the prospect that lottery players here could compete for megaprizes with gamblers in Australia or Japan.” For a governor concerned with an expansion of gambling, there is none bigger than this idea, unless it is interplanetary. Delegate Howard P. Rawlings, the appropriations chairman who is a strong supporter of the idea of slots at tracks, said he would be interested in the governor’s position on the lottery proposal. Rawlings said, “I personally believe that the best venue for gaming in the state is slots at tracks, not an expansion of the lottery, which preys on poor people.” January 29, 2002 SHADES OF THE MIDDLE EAST Innovative ideas are always welcome in today’s complex world of simulcasting, alternative wagering, Internet betting and all the rest, and today’s HTA Nova award for innovation goes to state senator Chris Beutler of Lincoln, Nebraska. Surrounded as it is by five gambling states (a sixth, Wyoming, does not allow casino-style gaming) Nebraska suffers from its citizens crossing state borders to gamble. Senator Beutler has introduced a constitutional amendment in the Nebraska legislature which would create a two-mile buffer zone inside the Nebraska border, where casino gaming would be legal, and thus eliminate the need for Nebraskans to carry their money to foreign shores. The beauty of the arrangement is that such a buffer zone would include Omaha, the state’s biggest city, which would be included in the buffer zone between Nebraska and Iowa, a major gaming state. The amendment would require voter approval, and would limit casinos in the state while still allowing Nebraska to compete with its neighbors who already have them. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE Bear, Stearns & Co. has released its newest report on gambling, and it has to be encouraging to those in horse racing. It says horse racing’s growth potential is huge through legislative and technological change. Marc Falcone, the company’s managing director and gaming and leisure analyst, says, “Account wagering currently comprises just 4% to 6% of the $18 billion pari-mutuel wagering industry. The room for growth is staggering, particularly as the legislative environment heats up and technology continues to rapidly evolve.” We may be prejudiced on the issue, but we are intensely proud that the report carries a number of footnote credits listing Paul Estok, HTA’s counsel and executive assistant, as the source.
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 SARATOGA SUPPORT FOR VLTs Eighty-two people spoke out on the issue of VLTs for the Saratoga Equine Sports Center at a standing room only meeting attended by more than 500 yesterday, and 52 of them were in favor of the idea, 29 were opposed, and 1 ran out of time before announcing yea or nay. Not present, but again voicing opposition, was Barry Schwartz of NYRA, who is limiting VLTs to Aqueduct. Barry says he is worried about traffic in the town and crowded restaurants, but it sounds from this distance as if he may be more concerned about competition for hallowed Saratoga in August from across Nelson avenue. Someone may wander across it and see one of the prettiest little tracks in America, and decide they like it and its VLTs. Saratoga Springs’ Public Works Commissioner Tom McTygue argued for the idea yesterday, the town’s Chamber of Commerce boss, Joe Dalton, argued against it, and announced a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality. He said the suit would cost $100,000, and the pastor of a local church said his congregation was kicking in $10,000 toward the bill. When Bruce Levinsky, a local developer and strong supporter of the idea, called opponents “elitists”, the remark brought a “rousing ovation” from the crowd, according to Thoroughbred Times. Cornelius Murray, who represents Dalton and other plaintiffs in the suit, said if the action is successful, “what Saratoga County does will be irrelevant.” Commenting on his suit, an article in the New York Law Journal of today called it “extraordinary” and said it places under challenge “the very modus operandi of the New York legislature -- which routinely passes bills in the middle of the night that virtually no one has read.” The article said Murray wanted to know who was representing the people. An interesting question, when the voice of the people, as heard yesterday loud and clear at the public meeting, is ignored. January 30, 2002 MAGNA’S ‘TERRITORIAL’ FEES Magna Entertainment has announced its “territorial fees,” known elsewhere in the industry as source market fees, and they are based on takeout rather than on handle. The company says it will pay a host fee of 25% of takeout, which would approximate 5% of handle, and pay an additional 35% of takeout, or some 7% of handle, on bets made within a 25 mile radius of a partner with an account wagering distribution contract and TV or Internet signals. No exclusivity is required in contracts. In another Magna-related development, Frank Stronach’s son Andy has announced that a company he founded four years ago -- Futuristic Entertainment -- is working on a pari-mutuel teller machine for novice bettors, fashioned after slot machines. He says the machines will be issued in 11 models designed for specific type bets -- win, place, across the board, exacta wheels etc. -- and will display payoffs on each horse instead of odds, as the old tote board at Roosevelt Raceway used to do. Stronach says the machines also will have Internet capabilities, provide handicapping services, and handle streaming video. “It makes a beginner into an expert,” he told Eric Mitchell of Blood-Horse Interactive. TRACKMASTER DAVIS DIES Bill Davis, whose skills as a designer, builder and maintainer of harness race tracks across the east made him an in-demand figure for half a century, died Sunday at his home in Claymont, Delaware. Davis attained his first fame as a track builder at Brandywine Raceway when that track opened in 1953. That track’s all-weather surface was considered a model, and farm owners and tracks up and down the Atlantic seaboard soon were seeking Davis’s services. He received HTA’s Medallion of Honor in 1983 and retired from Brandywine in 1985, but continued as a track consultant.
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2002 - Harness Tracks of America, Inc.

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