January - Harness Tracks of America, Inc.

HARNESS TRACKS OF AMERICA
THE BOY WHO CRIED OTB
Like the fable of similar name, no one believes
him after the repeated cries. Does Michael
Bloomberg really think Albany will be coerced
by his threats to close a city industry that provides
1,500 jobs and handles $1 billion of New
York’s $2.7 billion in annual wagering. The New
York Times expressed skepticism in its story today,
reporter Ray Rivera writing, “Whether real
or a mere negotiating tactic, the plan promises
to intensify debate in Albany” as the legislature
considers the fate of the New York Racing Association.
Rivera went on to write that “some
industry analysts said the plan looked more like
a bargaining ploy,” and he quoted Daily Racing
Form publisher and columnist Steve Crist as saying,
“It’s 100 percent posturing. OTB is looking
for a larger slice of the betting handle.” New York
City OTB president Ray Casey says the threat is
real. “It’s very serious,” he told Rivera,“We’ve
been trying for years to have the inequities corrected,
and this is an action at this point for
us, and for me personally, of last resort.” The
Bloomberg threat to shut down OTB June 15 if
no legislative relief is forthcoming might carry
some credibility if the issue of selling OTB were
discussed at the same time. Why anyone would
close down an operation worth hundreds of millions
of dollars to private operators without serious
efforts to sell it makes it difficult to believe
that the threat is anything other than the Times
story implies: a bargaining ploy.
MEANWHILE, IN HARRISBURG...
While the NYRA and New York City OTB matters
occupy Albany legislators, their counterparts
in Pennsylvania’s House were enjoying an
orgy of tax cut proposals following on the heels
of exceptional success with slots at the state’s racinos.
The legislators went on what Philly.
com called “a tax-cutting stampede” of
proposals for billions of dollars of cuts.
Executive Newsletter
A daily fax and e-mail report on racing and gaming developments in North America and beyond
Stanley F. Bergstein, Editor
January 17, 2008
No action was taken, because all the talk involved
amendments to an underlying property tax issue
up for consideration today. Yesterday’s proposals
included slashing personal income taxes by a
billion and other hugely expensive cuts on everything
from cell phone taxes to inheritance taxes
and pet adoptions. House members, Philly.com
reported, paid little heed to warnings about the
enormous hole they were potentially blowing in
the state budget.
WHAT ELSE IS NEW
Thoroughbred horsemen, acting through their
eastern-based Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association,
are asking state racing commissions to
slow down the rush to enact bans on steroids.
Daily Racing Form reports THA chairman Alan
Foreman as saying the intent of the delaying effort
is to avoid “unfair punishments” that would
result from horses moving from anti-anabolic
states to those not adopting such rules. Unification
of rules is, of course, the mission of the Racing
Medication and Testing Consortium, of which
Foreman is an influential board member. Foreman
notes that the goal is not yet accomplished.
“Right now,” he was quoted in the Form, “we’ve
got this piecemeal approach for a problem that
needs a national solution.” Will someone please
step up and bell the commissioners’ cat.
FORE! CONTACT HTA’S BRODY
If you want a respite from the work scheduled
for consideration at the upcoming HTA/TRA
joint annual meeting, now is the time to contact
Brody Johnson at HTA. Golf has been arranged
for Monday afternoon, Feb. 18, starting at 1
p.m., for men and ladies, with clubs and shoes
available for rental. Transportation will be provided
to the course, 1.7 miles and 5 minutes from
the hotel. Brody has full details.