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 F. Bergstein, EditorTHE COUNTY RISETH UPBroward county, Florida, is home to four parimutuelfacilities: HTA member Pompano Park;Gulfstream Park; the Hollywood GreyhoundTrack; and Dania Jai Alai. The citizens ofBroward have voted -- twice --that they approveof those tracks having slot machines. The legislature,ignoring their wishes, disagreed. NowBroward county commissioners, feeling the legislatureabdicated its responsibility to make rulesand regulations for installation and regulation ofslots, is exploring the possibility of seizing theinitiative and doing it on their own. The commissionersasked their attorney yesterday to researchtheir authority to oversee industry slots,and will consider next week whether to begindrafting restrictions covering slot payouts, numberof slots and hours of operation of the machines.The commissioners expressed concernthat if the tracks and fronton sue the state and ajudge rules in their favor, there could be unregulatedgambling. The commissioner who made themotion, Irene Lieberman, said, “If they (thetracks) are successful in a lawsuit because thestate did nothing, there will need to be regulations.I don’t want to see it operate unregulated.”The South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Scott Wymanwrote, “While a court could authorize the parimutuelsto offer slots, election law experts doubtwhether judges have the authority to spell outtaxes or regulations.” When the tracks andBroward county met earlier this year to deal withextra costs of law enforcement and governmentservices should the racinos be approved, thetracks agreed to allow the county to regulate slotsif the state did not do so. They still hold to thatposition, their lobbyist Ron Book saying, “We’vealways said we are for responsible regulation.”The Seminole tribe, which has a stake in all ofthis, says it will wait to see what happensbetween the pari-mutuel industry and thestate before it makes any moves.May 11, 2005FOUR WIN, SIX LOSE IN IOWAThe Iowa Racing Commission met this morningafter months of deliberation and settled the issueof winners and losers on 10 applications fornew riverboat casinos in the state. The four winnerswere Wild Rose Emmetsburg/Palo AltoCounty Gaming Development in Emmetsburg;Diamond Jo Worth/Worth County DevelopmentAuthority in Worth county; IOC Black HawkCounty/Black Hawk County Gaming Associationin Waterloo; and Washington County CasinoResort/Washington County Riverboat Foundationin Riverside.Losers were six groups that had hoped to havegambling boats in Fort Dodge; a second grouplooking for a license in Emmetsburg; one inFranklin county; two other groups in Waterloo;and one in Ottumwa.OPEN LETTER FROM WOODBINEIn an open letter to its customers, Woodbine Entertainmentoutlined its grievances with the CanadianPari-Mutuel Agency that regulates parimutuelin Canada. The two have been negotiatingfor six months for approval of common poolwagering with U.S. tracks, Woodbine seeking theU.S. formula that “host track rules apply.”CPMA refuses to accept that position, insistingthat U.S. tracks must remove all teller canceldelays across their networks before letting Canadianswager into those pools. The CPMA alsowants Canadian tracks and teletheaters to provideup-to-date wagering rules for every commonpool jurisdiction for all customers to accesson an immediate basis, and insists U.S. hosttracks advise Canadian tracks, who in turn mustadvise their customers, of any change in wageringrules before implementing them. Woodbineis asking its customers to sign petitions sayingthey are prepared to accept the “hosttrack rules apply” idea.