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
REQUEST OF IMPORTANCE
H.R. 3215, the Combating Illegal Gambling Reform
and Modernization Act -- better known as
the Goodlatte bill -- is now on the House Judiciary
Committee calendar for markup, and could be
called this week or more likely next. The bill
amends the Wire Act, section 1084 of the criminal
code, to clarify prohibitions that apply to all forms
of wagering on the Internet and other interactive
technologies, and contains an exemption for parimutuel
racing and wagering activities allowed under
the Interstate Horseracing Act. That exemption
has been carefully crafted to permit racing to
continue activities it has offered for many years,
including the Internet to be used to disseminate
information about racing and wagering and to continue
interstate simulcasting and account wagering
between states that permit such activities. The
bill does not expand this wagering or override any
state requirements or prohibitions on this already
existing activity.
April 17, 2002
Members of the House Judiciary Committee and
their districts from states in which HTA tracks are
located:
FLORIDA -- Ric Keller (R), 8th, Robert I. Wexler
(D), 19th.
ILLINOIS -- Henry Hyde (R), 6th
INDIANA -- John N. Hostettler (R), 8th, Mike
Pence (R), 2d
MASSACHUSETTS -- William Delahunt (D) 10th,
Barney Frank (D) 4th, Marty Meehan (D) 5th
MICHIGAN -- John Conyers Jr. (D) 14th
NEW YORK --Jerrold Nadler (D) 8th, Anthony
David Weiner (D), 9th
OHIO -- Steve Chabot (R) 1st
It is vitally important that our tracks do whatever
they can to ensure that those horse racing exemptions,
covered in Section 1084(f) of the Goodlatte
bill, are preserved in the House Judiciary Committee.
HTA believes this bill will ensure the continued
integrity of racing and allow the racing industry
and the $34 billion agri-business it supports
to remain viable and competitive. Because of the
time element, we are asking you to fax your representatives
on the House Judicary Committee to
support the pari-mutuel wagering provisions in the
Goodlatte bill, and in that hope we are enclosing
members of the Committee from states with HTA
tracks. We also are faxing you a suggested letter
and rationale provided by the American Horse
Council, and you are free to use this material in
your appeal for support from your representatives
on the House committee. That
material will be on your fax machines tomorrow.
PENNSYLVANIA - George W. Gekas (R) 17th,
Melissa A. Hart (R) 4th
SCORE TWO FOR AZ GOVERNOR
Arizona’s horse and dog tracks did not fare well in
the early rounds of their battle with Gov. Jane Hull
on their quest for slots. The Senate Government
Committee killed, by a 3-2 vote, an attempt to raise
$200 million a year for the state budget by giving
6,000 slots to the tracks, and lost again, on a 4-1
vote in favor of a slightly revised version of the
governor’s agreement with 17 Indian tribes to expand
gambling at tribal casinos while prohibiting
slots at the track. The governor’s policy adviser
for Indian gaming, Mike Bielecki, allowed that the
battle is far from over. “If this was the last hearing,
instead of the first, I’d feel a lot better,”
Bielecki said.