2005 - Harness Tracks of America, Inc.

HARNESS TRACKS OF AMERICAExecutive NewsletterA daily fax and e-mail report on racing and gaming developments in North America and beyondStanley Paul J. Estok, F. Bergstein, Editor Editor June 13, 2005SPOOR JOINS FLAMBOROFlamboro Downs announced that effective today,Gerard Spoor has been appointed president andgeneral manager of the Dundas, Ontario, racetrack.Spoor brings more than 30 years of experienceto his new post. A former vice president andgeneral manager of the Ontario Jockey Club (nowWoodbine Entertainment Group), Spoor most recentlyheld the positions of Director of AutototeNetherlands and regional manager of Autotote fornorthern Europe. “We welcome Gerard to theMEC team and we believe his experience will bea substantial asset to Flamboro Downs, the Ontarioharness racing industry and to MEC,” said DonAmos, executive vice president and chief operatingofficer of Magna Entertainment Corp.,Flamboro’s parent company.GAGLIANO JOINS JOCKEY CLUBJim Gagliano has been named executive vicepresident and chief administrative officer for TheJockey Club, the breed registry for thoroughbredhorses. According to a release from The JockeyClub, Gagliano will be “responsible for overseeingall administrative activities for The JockeyClub and its family of companies and will work directlywith business unit heads to develop andimplement company-specific business plans.”Gagliano, who resigned as executive vice presidentof Maryland racing operations for MagnaEntertainment Corp. (MEC) to accept the positionat The Jockey Club, joined Magna in 2002 aspresident of MEC OTB and group vice presidentof MEC Northern Group, which includes racetracksin Michigan, Oregon, Ohio and Pennsylvania.Prior to joining MEC, Gagliano spent fouryears with Greenwood Racing Inc. as executivevice president and general manager of PhiladelphiaPark and 10 years with the New Jersey Sportsand Exposition Authority. In his new position,Gagliano will be based at TheJockey Club’s New York office.FLA. TRACKS SEEK DISMISSALBroward County’s racetracks are preparing toappear before a Tallahassee judge this month toask him to dismiss an anti-gambling group’s lawsuitdesigned to block them from adding slot machinesto their facilities. A hearing is set for June21 before Leon County Court Judge P. KevinDavey. The anti-gambling group No Casinos filedthe lawsuit on May 23 to get a judge to forbid thetracks from installing slot machines unless thestate legislature passes regulations. The next day,track operators filed suit in Broward County askinga judge to let them have slots immediately inspite of the legislature’s inability to pass regulations.Attorneys for the tracks argued that theanti-gaming group has no standing to weigh in onwhether tracks should get slots now or not, andthat in any case, the matter should be heard inBroward County, since the case is about slots inBroward County.NY GOV. HAS A NEW PLANNew York Gov. George Pataki, who had proposedas many as five casinos for the Catskills in hisattempt to settle the Akwesasne Mohawks’ 23-year-old land claim against the state, is now planningjust one. “At this point we’re only looking atone casino,” Pataki spokesman Kevin Quinn said.“We’re continuing negotiations on the other settlements.The agreement with the Mohawks entitlesthem to build a casino in Sullivan County, providesthem with more than $100 million and the right tonearly double the size of their reservation in northernNew York. The Mohawk settlement, signedby Pataki and tribal leaders in February, requiresthe approval of the state legislation and Congress.In other Indian gaming news from New York, theOneida Tribe, owners of the Turning Stone Casinoin Verona, New York, released a list of investmentsas part of a tax valuation. According to thetribe, the Oneida’s have spent roughly $343million over the past decade.