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, EditorTuesday, April 27, 2010FEAR AND CONCERN IN AC?The Press of Atlantic City, which carries waterfor the casino industry in the New Jersey oceanresort city, had a most unusual headline today.Over a story written by Juliet Fletcher, the paper’sStatehouse Bureau reporter, the headlineread, “Some fear power of new Christie panel ongaming in New Jersey.” This is a new sentimentto be expressed anywhere near the boardwalk orits environs, and certainly in Trenton, the statecapital, where the casinos are firmly entrenchedwith powerful friends in the New Jersey legislature.What possibly could cause fear in thosecircles? The 800-pound gorilla turns out to bethe state advisory commission appointed by newGov. Chris Christie to report to him on gamingand racing in the state, their problems, and suggestionsfor improving them. The specific scareis the fact that last Tuesday that commission acknowledgedit was working with a group headedby the former head of Harrah’s in Atlantic Cityto study the $600 million offer to put 5,000 videoslots in the Meadowlands and take over managementof the track. The concern is that the groupanswers directly to the governor, and the Pressstory said, “some lawmakers worry that the commissionmay be moving too quickly, and wieldingtoo much power.” According to the story, aspokesman for the governor’s office said the advisorycommission was not bound by either theOpen Public Records Act or open-meeting laws.Jon Hanson, a former head of the New JerseySports and Exposition Authority that runs theMeadowlands, now heads the governor’s advisorycommission, and he refused to provide a copy ofthe commission’s executive summary of its reportto the Press, saying “It’s not a public documentyet.” An encouraging sign for harness racingwas prominent mention in the story of the nameof Mike Gulotta, a former Wall Street starand now major harness racing figure inNew Jersey. We’re at least on board.FIRINGS & RAISES AT NYCOTBThe Chief-Leader, a weekly civil service newsletter,catches up with an interesting anachronismtoday. The New York City Off-Track BettingCorporation, bleeding badly and havingfired 35 top level execs last weekend, will stepin where the New York legislature reportedlycannot tread, and will cover the cost of a severancebuyout program and two 4% raises for itsunionized employees. The publication, quotingOTB chairman Meyer (Sandy) Frucher, saysthe first of 40 of NYC OTB’s 60 betting shops tobe closed will remain open, at least until June.INTERESTING NOTE ON SLOTSThe Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports this morningthat the city’s big Rivers Casino is asking thePennsylvania Gaming Control Board to give itpermission to close down 126 of its 3,000 slotmachines and replace them with table games.The slots are under performing, and the casino’sattorney told the board they weren’tmaking money and “There’s no sense havingmachines that are not getting play.” The Riversalready is planning on 86 table games, and therequest to shut down slots is necessary becausethe law allowing table games stipulates that casinosmust keep the same number of slots theyhad operating last October 1.MEITTINIS RECOVERING IN NJDriver Jim Meittinis is recovering from a badspill at Freehold Raceway last week, when anunruly pacer went on a break and Meittiniswas thrown from the sulky and hit by a trailinghorse. He suffered three broken vertebraeand was taken to the trauma center at JerseyShore Medical Center in Neptune. Driver JimPantaleano, driving the trailing horse, also wasunseated but not injured.