2005 - Harness Tracks of America, Inc.

HARNESS TRACKS OF AMERICABALA SENTENCED TO 27 MOS.Susan Bala, the founder and owner of NorthDakota’s Racing Services Inc., was sentenced bya federal judge in Fargo, North Dakota, yesterdayto 27 months in prison for her role in what theFargo Forum called “the largest illegal gamblingcase in North Dakota history.” Bala, for her part,continues to claim innocence, telling Judge RalphErickson, “I just want you to know, in my heart, Iwould never do anything illegal.” The judge chastisedBala for bringing “unsavory characters” toNorth Dakota, including an alleged member of theGambino crime family now under federal indictmentin New York, but also noted that in light ofBala’s past good deeds, spotless record and lowrisk, she deserved a sentence at the low end ofthe scale provided by federal sentencing guidelines,which is what she got. Assistant U.S. AttorneyKeith Reisenauer asked for 33 months, tellingthe judge that Bala has not taken responsibilityfor her actions. “She blames everybody butherself,” Reisenauer said. Bala, 50, and her companywere convicted in February on 12 counts, includingconducting an illegal gambling business,conspiracy to conduct an illegal gambling business,illegal wire transfer, and nine counts of moneylaundering. Raymundo Diaz Jr., the vice presidentof Racing Services, was sentenced in May to90 days in a halfway house. He had pleaded guiltyto three felony charges of illegal gambling. Jurorsin February also ordered Racing Services toforfeit about $99 million, and Bala herself was orderedto pay $19.7 million of that. Reisenauersaid he did not know how much of the money wouldbe collected.SIMO AWARD DEADLINE AUG. 29The award to honor the racing industry’s best simulcastproduction again will be presented at the13th Annual International Simulcast Conference.The deadline for all entries isMonday, August 29, 2005. The award honorsthe best simulcast telecast by a host siteExecutive NewsletterA daily fax and e-mail report on racing and gaming developments in North America and beyondStanley Paul J. F. Estok, Bergstein, Editor Editor July 15, 2005and is open to all pari-mutuel breeds. The simulcastentry will be judged on technical merit, quality,and timeliness of racing and wagering informationdissemination, as well as overall appeal.Entries for the award must be no more than 30minutes in length and contain one complete racepresentation, including pre-race features andgraphics, the race itself, and any post-race replaysor wrap-ups. Entries must have been part of anormal simulcast program and not a collection ofhighlights or features and have aired after August24, 2004. For the first time, entries will be acceptedin DVD format. Six copies of each entryshould be sent to Thoroughbred Racing Associations,420 Fair Hill Drive, Suite 1, Elkton, MD21921, along with a letter of entry detailing thecontact name for the entry and the date the programaired.TUCSON TRACK DEFICIENT“Serious structural deficiencies” at 63-year-oldRillito Park Racetrack in sunny Tucson, Arizona,have prompted Pima County officials to considertearing it down and replacing it with athleticfields. That idea is drawing opposition from thehorse racing community. The track needs $1million to $1.5 million in repairs to avoid a “catastrophicfailure” of the steel-and-wood grandstand,according to a consultants’s report. Thegrandstand, built in 1962 and considered an eyesoreby many in the Old Pueblo, was “built deficiently[and] never strengthened adequately.”County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry saysthe county doesn’t have the money it would taketo repair the facility, let alone the estimated $5million to $6 million it would cost to replace thestructure with a new one. That puts the next racingseason, slated to begin in January of 2006, injeopardy. For now, the facility remains closed,but as a result of the dire reports and in an effortto move the issue forward, a county advisorycommission voted unanimously to “seekshort- and long-term solutions.”