Of interest to horseplayers and horsemen is consideration of adopting new rules dealing with coupled entries, a proposed change to the harness sulky rule, and a request by Catskill Regional OTB re: Internet account wagering.
There will also be a ruling on the use of cell phones in the paddock area.
The rulings will deal with the nuts and bolts of the present while adhering to the mandates of the past, a much different time in America, mostly when horse racing and Las Vegas were the only legal ways to gamble in this country.
Yesterday at the Doubletree Hotel in Tarrytown, hard by the Tappan Zee, executives from every branch of the gaming industry assessed the state of gaming in New York.
The agenda was diverse and comprehensive, dealing with the politics of gaming and the law, competition within the Northeast, marketing, technology and, of course, the problems enveloping all-breeds racing, on and off track.
The game has been studied to death, as everyone knows, and even its practitioners seem to have grown a bit cynical in the process. Thoroughbred racing interests seem to have reached the third step; acceptance.
But then there was a little harness track in the southwest corner of the state that’s making it because its management is thinking through the problems, convincing regulators to allow the market to breathe, and its one of the few harness tracks that are working.
Hard to imagine that Tioga Gaming and Raceway would be fairing a lot better than The Meadowlands these days, without whose existence you could virtually shut down an entire harness breeding industry. Owners don’t spend big bucks just to find a “Saturday night horse.”
Most of the gaming people acknowledged issues effecting wagering across an entire industry, appearing happy with their place at the table, if a bit cheeky. Said one racino marketing executive: “You want people to look more closely, show them what you’ve got; it’s not just a tired old racetrack.”
I dropped my pencil, so I never heard whether the state’s racetracks got acknowledged and given a proper thank you.
Tomorrow, we hope to focus on the remarks of 2010 Gaming Summit keynoter Jeff Gural--that’s if the Power Point shows up. For now, let’s go leafing through a notepad:
* Expect to see racing on Palm Sunday, funding for another year of steroid testing and maximum fines raised from $5,000 to $25,000 for suitable violations.
* But no movement on possible VLTs for Belmont, reinstituting permission for the tracks to dispense free passes, or change or elimination of the “held harmless” provision that continues to hold OTBs while harness tracks tally up their VLT receipts.
* That Indian Nations are “very passionate” about preserving their no-tax status guaranteed them by the Constitution but that the Obama administration is not so much. “Things are moving slowly [in Washington], and don’t expect things to get rolling anytime soon.“
* Making “Quick Draw” permanent will be acted on any minute now, that the next NYS administration--those looking to bet Cuomo could find no takers at any price--will review gaming “as a whole” having as a possible goal a constitutional amendment allowing full scale gaming.
* That, shocking no one, economics is not the only consideration in gaming, that policy, morals and counter-productive competition also play a significant role.
* That in the not-too-distant future there will be expansion of the Lottery.
* Electric gaming can go forward not by statute but because it’s not expressly forbidden. However, gaming operators won’t invest in electronic gaming because they distrust that system. Who could blame them?
* That gaming in the East has not reached the saturation point because the market has grown despite the Great Recession and that growth continues with so many untapped areas. Saturation may be “quite a ways off.”
* That making a racino at The Meadowlands would hurt Atlantic City “tremendously” and that A.C. needs to be smarter and do something special, looking for niche markets beyond their regional customers.
* That NYS legislators need to be “weaned off gaming solely as a revenue provider” and eliminate punitive laws that protect what market gaming has, making job creation another major focus.
* That 60 percent of slots players are women over 40 earning $45,000 a year and that 60 percent of table-games players are men over 40 earning $75,000.
* That on Saturday nights, 40 percent of the crowd playing games like 3-Card Poker are younger people and that 20 percent of the people that go to Foxwoods don’t gamble at all.
* That Massachusetts, with a gaming tax rate of 25 percent compared with New York’s 50, is planning three casinos, one in the Western portion of the state and that “the impact on Saratoga will be significant.” Not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. Mohegan Sun in Connecticut wants to get something going in Massachusetts.
* That when it comes to technology, it’s hard to get people out of the house because of HDTV but e-marketing will become a greater part of the marketing mix in the future. For now, Direct Mail is still king.
23 Jun 2010 at 01:16 am | #
John:
If that’s all that was discussed regarding the racing industry, then we really are in deep trouble here in the former Empire State.
More for racing was probably accomplished during the recent Passover holiday when the entire Doubletree was taken over by an Orthodox group from Rockland County.
Saratoga can’t begin soon enough!
23 Jun 2010 at 04:26 am | #
Paul,
I filled two small notebooks and chose some tidbits I believed would be of interest to many of our readers, and there was some noews contained therein as well. Tomorrow’s might be more to your liking, and might not, too.
Of course, Saratoga should prove a pleasant diversion, the operative word being should. Thanks.
JP
23 Jun 2010 at 05:48 am | #
Sounds like a complete waste of time!!
Perhaps the blowhards in charge should consider the following:
1-A four day race week at Belmont and Aqueduct
2-A six week winter break from January 1st-Feb 15th
3-Allow NYRA and OTB to show live races over the internet to ADW accountholders.
At least they’re going to end the foolish Palm Sunday ban.
23 Jun 2010 at 06:40 am | #
Austin,
What you suggest is probably a little more provincial than the conventioneers had in mind. My definition of the proceedings was taking an overview in the areas of what was expected to come out of Albany; there were more developments in that area which would have taken an entire blog to explain.
Further, I was interested in the techniques the various segments consider such as e-marketing not yet being the end-all some might suppose and what currently IS working; a better understanding of problems from a big-picture perspective; an embracing of a less-is-more philosophy-- better demonstrated in tomorrow’s Morning Line; the latest in video gaming and where that segment’s headed in the future, and that the gaming market is NOT oversaturated in the Northeast, a bet I certainly would have lost.
Not having all the answers myself, I found it instructive. Do wish I would have checked with you first Austin, might have saved myself some gas money and personal wear and tear.
Did you know, for instance, that there is a point where too little racing becomes harmfully counterproductive relative to making new fans in the future? That’s something I never considered until yesterday. And I thought I had all the answers!
23 Jun 2010 at 09:07 am | #
I agree with your last paragraph. Too little racing would be counterproductive.
But isn’t that the direction the industry’s going in?
How many circuts race five days a week anymore?
New York does, California tries to. Most others have cut back to four.
If we fast forward 10 years, it’s likely that the industry will consolidate even further.
23 Jun 2010 at 12:04 pm | #
Monmouth Park is losing money in droves. I believe it was Saturday, perhaps, Sunday that the per capita wager on-track was a mere $44 - ridiculous!
What is needed is for turf writers, coast-to-coast, to encourage their readers to go to the nearest racetrack and enjoy.
Sunday, I was staring at a bank of television monitors at the local OTB and I could not distinguish between the races going off at Philadelphia, Delaware, Belmont, Monmouth, Calder, Churchill, et cetera. They looked the same to me. You bet, you win or you lose.
If Thoroughbred racing is going to survive, it is necessary for turf writers, you Mr. Pricci, to tell your readers that a race at Philly is no different than a race at Belmont. When are you guys going to get it?
And, also, you turf writers must come to the fore and tell NJSEA that they are nuts with their current waste of purse money.
23 Jun 2010 at 01:00 pm | #
Austin, agreed, there will be further consolidation but it won’t take 10 years to get there. Either you contract voluntarily or the market will do it for you.
If that’s all it takes to fix all the problems, then I’ll say it, Wendell. “A race at Philly is no different than a race at Belmont.”
Tomorrow, sadly, that just might be the case. Couldn’t find a spot that remotely resembled a feature race I could analyze.
23 Jun 2010 at 01:37 pm | #
Mr. Pricci: Thank you for your comment that “ a race at Philly is no different than a race at Belmont.” I, however, do not believe that you are serious.
Racing is tanking and you, and your fellow turf writers, could do a lot to change things if you promoted racing at all racetracks.
Just what does a feature race have to do with it?
A horse race is a horse race, again, bet on it and win or lose. If stake races are more easily to handicap and to pick a winner, are more exciting than a cheap claiming race, then I have missed the boat for fifty plus years.
Time to look at tomorrow’s races. Have a good evening.
23 Jun 2010 at 03:24 pm | #
Mr. WM Corrow, you sound like a good fellow, but you have missed the boat on this one. My races are different as more and more fans show up every time and that is the difference. More fans mean more dollars with admission and parking fees, programs, food, beverages, souvenirs, $2 winning tickets never cashed etc. Also new fans show up and some get hooked and come back because I’m an attraction. True all races look the same and you can make a score on a $4,000 claimer at Stinker Lakes just as easily as my races. True horse racing doesn’t exist without gambling, but my races can Knock the Yankees off the back pages of Newsday and give much needed publicity to the horse racing game. If only my owners and trainer would let me race against Quality Road, Blame, Rail trip, Musket Man, I Want Revenge and Rachel on the biggest stage of the sport Saratoga in the Whitney. Then to big sandy in the Jockey Gold Cup. Think how many people will show up. They’ll be parking on Preech’s front lawn. Then the finale at Churchill where Mr. Borel won’t know who passed him so fast. 20-0 no doubts of my greatness and many new fans that’s the difference of my races!
24 Jun 2010 at 12:21 am | #
Zenyatta: You have over rated yourself; perhaps from reading turf writer hype about yourself. Further, I can’t make any money wagering on you. Whether you manage to win twenty races in a row is of little interest to me. My hero at the moment is a claimer who brought home the last leg of a pick three for me yesterday. Today, I hopefully will have another hero.
There are over 55,000 races run every year in this country, and your races are a mere blip on the screen. Enjoy the adoration from the clueless crowd that watches you in the saddling area and cheer you on down the stretch, and then go home not to appear again until your next race - most not even cashing their win ticket on you, preferring to frame it on a living room wall. On the day you race, the only ‘fans’ that may reappear again the following day or week are those who made money gambling on the other races prior and after your race.
24 Jun 2010 at 03:18 am | #
Mr. Corrow, you said: “On the day you race, the only ‘fans’ that may reappear again the following day or week are those who made money gambling on the other races prior and after your race” THATS THE POINT NEW FANS REAPPEARING and thats the difference with my races. No business can survive only on existing customer base for some will disappear daily. New customers must be made for growth. Good luck and may the horse be with you!