CRIST: Sets the NY facts straight

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by Danzig

thanks for posting that steve. but there is still a possibility of nyra retaining control, correct?

i remember reading a few years ago about the whole slots deal....when the first few tracks got them, of course their bottom line got huge. but like that article said, once everyone gets them, the playing field is level again, and it still comes down to who does their job the best.

i don't understand why horse racing doesn't market itself like the casinos. it's as tho too many in racing don't want that side of it let out--but why?? people like to gamble, let them know how much more fun it is to make an educated guess, win some money, rather then sitting and mind-numbingly feeding a coin slot.
i went to a casino once, and i hated it. i have never touched the instant racing machines at oaklawn.

NYRA has more than a " chance " to remain in control of the franchise. They are a substantial favorite, in fact, to do so. However, I agree with everyone here that says this article should be in all the above mentioned papers, and it is my sincere hope that NYRA takes out full page ads, reprinting this article, in at least some of these publications.

There is, I think unfortunately, a gap between public perception about this franchise battle and its realities. In some ways I fault NYRA for this, though in other ways I can understand their thinking, as it seems obvious that they have chosen not to roll around in the dirt with the other bidders who are intentionally skewing the facts. What I would like to see them do is a better job of presenting their case to the public without getting into a battle with the other bidders.

[Hickory Hill Hoff]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

I remember those well and always watched. I believe they were from Tropical Park.

Your right, I knew it was in Florida somehere...the guy who hosted it did auto commericals in my area.
I can remember the "old ladies" in my town would have a "fit" if the cashier didn't give them their playing ticket!

[Hickory Hill Hoff]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

NYRA has more than a " chance " to remain in control of the franchise. They are a substantial favorite, in fact, to do so. However, I agree with everyone here that says this article should be in all the above mentioned papers, and it is my sincere hope that NYRA takes out full page ads, reprinting this article, in at least some of these publications.

There is, I think unfortunately, a gap between public perception about this franchise battle and its realities. In some ways I fault NYRA for this, though in other ways I can understand their thinking, as it seems obvious that they have chosen not to roll around in the dirt with the other bidders who are intentionally skewing the facts. What I would like to see them do is a better job of presenting their case to the public without getting into a battle with the other bidders.

I totally agree, it seems they are their own worst emeny...a lot of people out there just believe everything they hear from the pols and NYRA bashers out there.

[SniperSB23]

I think if Steve or Andy or someone sent a well written piece into Tim Wilkin at the Times Union that it would likely make the paper. It may not have wide circulation but it does have wide circulation in Albany which is where these decisions are being made. The story would also be available on their website for mass circulation.

[Linny]

While I agree that the 3 other entities may be looking to grab VLT money, don't forget that NYRA has taken loan after loan, bailouts and even bankruptsy all while waiting for the VLT MONEY. No matter what happens, the VLT money will be heavily regulated and subject to NYS Lottery regulation.

I do agree that VLT's don't create racing fans, but I agree also with horsemen who claim the no effort is made to do so by "racino operators. Offering sumptuous facilities for slot players while racing fans watch from squalor, offering free admission to slotters while race fans are charged to death with admissions, expensive food and beverage and high cost information does nothing to promote racing. Geez, the NY horsemen are begging to have the in house signal piped into gaming rooms and VLT operations oppose the idea!

[Sightseek]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

NYRA has more than a " chance " to remain in control of the franchise. They are a substantial favorite, in fact, to do so. However, I agree with everyone here that says this article should be in all the above mentioned papers, and it is my sincere hope that NYRA takes out full page ads, reprinting this article, in at least some of these publications.

There is, I think unfortunately, a gap between public perception about this franchise battle and its realities. In some ways I fault NYRA for this, though in other ways I can understand their thinking, as it seems obvious that they have chosen not to roll around in the dirt with the other bidders who are intentionally skewing the facts. What I would like to see them do is a better job of presenting their case to the public without getting into a battle with the other bidders.

NPR did a somewhat lengthy segment on the bidders the other day during the drive home from work..of course it too, labeled the NYRA as the corrupt plaque franchise that has been controlling NY Racing for years. I think you may be correct in that they need to form a stronger explaination for their position, the media is focusing on the negative like the bankruptcy and using terms that do not flatter their name.

[Hickory Hill Hoff]

Originally Posted by Sightseek

NPR did a somewhat lengthy segment on the bidders the other day during the drive home from work..of course it too, labeled the NYRA as the corrupt plaque franchise that has been controlling NY Racing for years. I think you may be correct in that they need to form a stronger explaination for their position, the media is focusing on the negative like the bankruptcy and using terms that do not flatter their name.

It doesn't surprise me that NPR would label NYRA that way, after all their "champions" for the "little" guy
and not the wealthly, greedy "right wingers" in this country.

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by Linny

I do agree that VLT's don't create racing fans, but I agree also with horsemen who claim the no effort is made to do so by "racino operators. Offering sumptuous facilities for slot players while racing fans watch from squalor, offering free admission to slotters while race fans are charged to death with admissions, expensive food and beverage and high cost information does nothing to promote racing. Geez, the NY horsemen are begging to have the in house signal piped into gaming rooms and VLT operations oppose the idea!

The goal of " racinos " is to not let their patrons even know there is racing going on, of this there is no doubt, and it is seemingly true everywhere but probably nowhere worse than NY State. I am not saying you said this, but be absolutely clear that this is in NO way NYRA's fault, and strictly the fault of the STATE and, specifically, the NY State Lottery. This is another example of State regulation acting in a manner contrary to both racing's best interests as well as NYRA's.

Some of the blame for situations like this lay in the hands of your employer, an OTB in the State of NY, that has a proven track record of working in opposition to both the racing fan in NY State and NYRA. It is OTB that forced the recent increase in takeout, as NYRA was forced to allow this in order to implement their rebate program, and this was the compromise they had to make with NY State legislature due to interference from the NY State OTBs. This is the same OTB structure that not only allowed the Pick-6 scandal to occur but also encouraged the payment of the participants. But, of course, it is NYRA that is " scandal plagued ".

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

NYRA has more than a " chance " to remain in control of the franchise. They are a substantial favorite, in fact, to do so. However, I agree with everyone here that says this article should be in all the above mentioned papers, and it is my sincere hope that NYRA takes out full page ads, reprinting this article, in at least some of these publications.

There is, I think unfortunately, a gap between public perception about this franchise battle and its realities. In some ways I fault NYRA for this, though in other ways I can understand their thinking, as it seems obvious that they have chosen not to roll around in the dirt with the other bidders who are intentionally skewing the facts. What I would like to see them do is a better job of presenting their case to the public without getting into a battle with the other bidders.

good to know.
they weren't the ones chosen by the panel set up by the previous gov, correct? so, with spitzer throwing it back into the process, did their chances improve by much?
is this a case of going with what you know, rather than what you don't? and wasn't the group that swindal was a part of, along with the steinbrenners, the one who got the nod first time out?

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by Danzig

good to know.
they weren't the ones chosen by the panel set up by the previous gov, correct? so, with spitzer throwing it back into the process, did their chances improve by much?
is this a case of going with what you know, rather than what you don't? and wasn't the group that swindal was a part of, along with the steinbrenners, the one who got the nod first time out?

The panel makes recommendations....they don't choose the franchise holder. The first panel selected a group that has now pretty much dropped out of the bidding. Pretty sad to think their recommendation didn't even make the second go-round.

[Payson Dave]

It seems to me that the delay in getting the slots up and running at Aqu has been an intentional attempt to undermine NYRA....I think it is fair to explore which politians benefit from the undermining of NYRA and how do they benefit...ie some connection to Excelsior or Empire???

[blackthroatedwind]

I can't help but harken back to a recent appearance of mine on ATRAB, right after the first panel recommended Excelsior, where I was interupted ( frequently and at length ) by Excelsior shill Gary Contessa. He went on and on about how great it was going to be to have NY racing run by the Steinbrenner family and the New York Yankees.

Boy was Gary right! They were so committed to NY racing that they dropped out just a few months later. Wow would we have been lucky to have had people so determined to run NY racing that they couldn't even make it to the second cut of the bidding process.

Where is the accountability for these people and their followers? Who do they have to answer to for cheering on the Steinbrenner group who abandoned NY racing at the drop of a hat ( or should I say pants )? Of course now they are getting behind Steve Wynn. What will be their response when Wynn drops out in the coming week(s)? How can Excelsior even be considered a viable bidder when they change leadership like Gary Stevens changes occupations?

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by Payson Dave

It seems to me that the delay in getting the slots up and running at Aqu has been an intentional attempt to undermine NYRA....I think it is fair to explore which politians benefit from the undermining of NYRA and how do they benefit...ie some connection to Excelsior or Empire???

No doubt. If NYRA had the slots running two years ago, as they legally should have, they would have been so financially strong that replacing them would have been extremely tough. But, of course, Empire actually claimed last summer at Saratoga that NYRA had intentionally withheld the slots ( to keep money from the horsemen I suppose ). Here's another group, Empire, that is either not smart enough to understand the situation or willing to say ANYTHING to attempt to make NYRA look bad. Either way they hardly seem like a group that should be in a position to run racing in NY.

Originally Posted by Grits

The Times Union may have been alright for Upstate, rather limits the reach I think.

The piece would serve better in the Wall Street Journal, the NYTimes, the NYPost, and every other major racing publication and newspaper in the country where racing has a stake.

Do they even cover racing anymore? Washington Post no longer carries the stuff from Laurel Park.

The more I think about it, the more I think slots will be the death of the industry.

They want to promote jockeys ala the NBA? this is the kind of stuff Executive Assistants at PR firms come up with over lunch. "Hey what about the NBA? Yeah I see a connection here."

They ought to take that jockey cam and put it on them in the jock's room when they play poker. "Oh look DOminguez made his flush. THere's no way Jara can get away from this hand."

[milliam]

How many years do we get before VLT operators say horse racing is hurting our bottom line ?

[SniperSB23]

There is absolutely no way to promote the jockeys as long as there is no way for the common fan to tell which jockey is which each race without looking at their form. As long as the jockeys are wearing the owners silks they are not promotable. Unless they come up with a way to differentiate the jockeys by a quick glance while keeping the owners happy there is little to no chance of promoting the jockeys. Imagine if Larry Bird or Magic Johnson wore a helmet and goggles and came out in a different color jersey with a different number every game. Even they would have been difficult to promote in that situation.

[saucon17]

Originally Posted by SniperSB23

There is absolutely no way to promote the jockeys as long as there is no way for the common fan to tell which jockey is which each race without looking at their form. As long as the jockeys are wearing the owners silks they are not promotable. Unless they come up with a way to differentiate the jockeys by a quick glance while keeping the owners happy there is little to no chance of promoting the jockeys. Imagine if Larry Bird or Magic Johnson wore a helmet and goggles and came out in a different color jersey with a different number every game. Even they would have been difficult to promote in that situation.

The only way they can promote jockeys is to switch to thier own
racing silks like the do with harness drivers who have their own set of
driving silks. At least in harness you know who is driving the horse by
just looking at colors of the driver than looking at a program to find out

[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by saucon17

The only way they can promote jockeys is to switch to thier own
racing silks like the do with harness drivers who have their own set of
driving silks. At least in harness you know who is driving the horse by
just looking at colors of the driver than looking at a program to find out

Which is something the owners would never support.

[SniperSB23]

Also, imagine how much more difficult Magic Johnson and Larry Bird would have been to promote if their owners continually forced them to dress up in pink costumes.

[theiman]

Originally Posted by Kasept

I should NOT be doing this, but the importance of Steve Crist's column in today's paper is too important to be restricted to DRF subscribers. Anyone who has formed any opinion on the NY situation based on the lies and misrepresentations of the slot money salivators try to gain the franchise needs to know the facts.. Here they are presented by someone who speaks independently and with authority and first hand comprehension of the situation.


New York bidders twist reality
By STEVEN CRIST

NEW YORK - The four-ring circus in Albany, N.Y., last week that passed for public hearings on the New York racing franchise was above all else an illustration of how fiction becomes accepted as truth when repeated often enough.

The three private-equity groups seeking to replace the not-for-profit New York Racing Association - Capital Play Ltd., Empire Racing Associates and Excelsior Racing - are motivated primarily by the prospect of operating lucrative slot-machine parlors at Aqueduct and perhaps Belmont Park. To get that opportunity to shower themselves and their investors in public money, though, these bidders have to pretend that their real interest is in racing, and that they have quick and easy solutions that will make the sport wildly popular and profitable.

Their arguments boil down to three massive falsehoods:

Big Lie No. 3: Slot machines on the premises will attract and convert the masses into racing fans.

Perhaps between now and its Memorial Day deadline for naming a new franchisee, the panel could try to locate a single racino operator in the country who has found Wynn's scenario to work. They won't find one. Slots provide a welcome subsidy to racing but they do not create racing fans, ando in the long run the sport and its customers become increasingly marginalized and squeezed off the casino floor.

I am only addressing Mr. Crists comments regarding his "Big Lie" #3. Specifically, his comment

the panel could try to locate a single racino operator in the country who has found Wynn's scenario to work. They won't find one

Mr. Crist apparently has not done his due dillegence in this matter. There is one track that has worked on cross promoting slots and racing. The first years results showed substantial gains. In fact they be the "only" track that has tried something to cross promote racing and slots.
Below is the article and link. I have bolded significant numbers

Posted: Friday, December 01, 2006

Remington Park concludes live meet with double-digit increases


Remington Park concluded its 68-day live Thoroughbred meet on November 28 with double-digit mutuel handle increases spurred in part by the track's casino, which opened just over a year ago.

The Oklahoma City track reported an all-sources handle of $68,736,967, a 47.5% increase compared to 2005. The average daily mutuel handle of $1,010,838 increased 43.1%.

Total simulcasting export handle was $53,260,506, a 71% increase compared to last year. Remington's on-track live handle increased 17.7% to $5,337,990.

Wagering at the track's Oklahoma off-track betting parlors also increased 17.7% to $822,283.

"We've had a great season," said Scott Wells, Remington's vice president and general manager. "It's been extremely gratifying to see the public's response to the racino concept and to the improved quality of racing we've been able to offer."

The meet also featured a record $12,153,670 in purses. Daily purses averaged a record $178,730, which topped the previous mark of $106,842 set in 1996.

The track ran 625 races that drew an average of 9.6 starters per race, a slight increase over last season's 9.2 average.

"Thanks to our horsemen, we've been able to set a record in terms of field size, which has paid off not only in live on-track handle but also in simulcast export handle," Wells said. "Bettors across the country have recognized the improvement of our racing product in terms of both quality and quantity of horses."

Live racing at Remington drew 324,088 fans, a 209.4% increase over a year ago.

http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/nat...increases.aspx

Now I also sent an e-mail to the GM, Scott Wells to ask him about his concept and why he has succeeded where others have yet to show results. Here is his response.

Dear Ira,

Thank you for your kind words regarding the recently concluded Remington Park meet. As far as an explanation goes, you were right on target. We do try to incentivize our slots players to play the races by sending them betting vouchers in our direct marketing mailouts. The values of the vouchers are in relation to the Guest's level of slots play. Perhaps the most important aspect to our achievement of crossover is the design of the racino itself. Nearly all racinos are designed like Las Vegas casinos in that there are no distractions from those focused on the electronic games. I insisted that we have an area of the casino (next to the video poker machines) which overlooks the finish line and the winner's circle. The Lookout, as it is called, is a very comfortable simulcast area on which the curtain is kept close when there is no live racing. But when the horses are coming onto the track for the first race (we race almost exclusively at night), the curtain is raised and the simulcast players AND the slots players see the excitement of live horse racing.
Regarding our big increase in simulcast export, the vastly improved quality of our racing product has been largely responsible for that. Bettors across the country now see many more familiar names (Storm Cat, Deputy Minister, Seeking the Gold---Nelson Bunker Hunt, The Vinery, Will Farish, Pin Oak, etc.) than they have in years past. And of course that is all a result of the increase in purses. As you know, 9.6 starters per race is a great number and is attractive to nationwide players accustomed to short fields and short prices.
We have been successful in getting into the California market with our Thoroughbred signal only occasionally. That's something I'm working on but the people who control the importation of signals there are very limited in what they can do and nearly always opt for more races from better-known tracks, despite the short fields.
Again, thanks for your comments. They certainly brightened my day even if they never reach my bosses at MEC.

Best of Racing Luck,

Scott Wells

Vice President & General Manager


Now I am not saying that this concept will work everywhere that slots are put in. Nor am I saying that that Wynns group is right for the job. However, I dont think there has been a racino added to a track that has even tried to cross promote. What a shame that there "might" be something that can work to attract new fans, its right in front of them and managments cant see it.

On a side note, I noticed an article this week that Magna gave out large bonuses to some executives, even retired executives, I didnt see Mr. Wells name on the list. What a shame.