HARNESS TRACKS OF AMERICA Executive Newsletter

HARNESS TRACKS OF AMERICAExecutive NewsletterA daily fax and e-mail report on racing and gaming developments in North America and beyondStanley F. Bergstein, EditorWednesday, July 28, 2010A MASSACHUSETTS “CHASM”Deval Patrick, the governor of Massachusetts,says a chasm remains betweenHouse and Senate negotiators, and he isnot sure they will reach a compromise onslots at tracks before the current legislativesession ends Saturday night. One ofthe top Senate negotiators, Sen. StanleyRosenberg, agreed with Patrick’s assessment,saying, “There are still significantdifferences” in the conference committee.A NEW JERSEY MESSSporadic resistance to Gov. Chris Christie’sproposal to close or sell the Meadowlandshas broken out in various sectionsof New Jersey, with the issue generally dividingalong party and geographic lines.The governor has declared he no longer iswilling to “subsidize failure,” as he put it,while neighboring Pennsylvania has demonstratedthe easy way to end that is to legalizeslots and alternative gaming at statetracks. One northern legislator, State SenatorRay Lesniak, says Jon Hanson, whochaired the governor’s special committeethat drafted the proposals that Christie isnow espousing, “sells the Meadowlandsand Monmouth Park down the drain.”Tom Luchento, who as president of theNew Jersey SBOA is mustering a counterattackon the plan, said horsemen “will beleaving New Jersey in caravans for tracksin other states.” They won’t until the battleis lost, and hopefully a meetingLuchento has called for tomorrownight will produce a plan.BETTING AT SPFD, DUQUOINThe once-great Grand Circuit harnessmeetings at Springfield and DuQuoin, Illinois,fighting for their lives, got a bit ofhelp from the Illinois Racing Board thisweek. The board approved pari-mutuelbetting for six days of racing at Springfieldand for DuQuoin’s three days, Thetracks suffered quality losses when a batteredstate budget still hadn’t paid pursesthis spring that had been won last year.Springfield had only 398 stakes nominationsas opposed to 507 last year.EUROPE ONLINE BETS BOOMEuropean nations, feeling the same economicpressures as North America, areturning to legalized online betting as asolution. France, Denmark and Greeceare among the countries legalizing onlinebetting, and Switzerland, Germany andSpain are considering it. David Trunkfield,a Pricewaterhouse Coopers consultant,was quoted in today’s New YorkTimes as saying, “What’s happened is therealization that you can’t uninvent theInternet. People are gaming online. Youeither try to regulate and tax it, or peopleare going to go to the offshore operators,where you don’t get any revenue.”BROOKS LAWYER: “SHE LIES”A David Brooks’ attorney, wrapping upthe former Bulletproof boss’s federal trialin closing arguments, called the government’skey witness a confirmed liar.