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State Issues Archive

It’s the Racing

Or, how to grow without relying on slots. Knowing that the machines won’t be legalized in Virgina anytime soon, or possibly ever, “Colonial Downs, which is in its ninth year, is something of a throwback in the racing industry, a facility that is counting on building a better racing product through year-round simulcasting at a wide-ranging network of off-track betting sites; by account wagering over the Internet and by telephone; by presenting full fields of competitive races into simulcast-land; and by making a day at the races comfortable for both new and old fans.” The strategy shows promise: racing days, handle, and attendance have increased in the past four years. (Daily Racing Form)

Posted in State Issues on June 16, 2005

Slots — Bad Bet?

Boston Globe columnist Brian McGrory paid a recent visit to Lincoln Park in Rhode Island and came away unimpressed:

The stale, hazy air smells like a Greyhound bus station, or maybe that’s the nearby greyhound kennels.

The merry dinging and donging of the electronic games strikes a sharp contrast to the nervous and sometimes desperate-looking people watching their Social Security checks vanish before their eyes.

A bartender asks a customer if he’d like his chardonnay on ice.

All the while, one question keeps popping to mind: Have we gone completely insane?

You see, if some increasingly vocal Massachusetts officials have their way, this exact kind of sleazy slots parlor is about to infect a neighborhood near you.

McGrory’s argument against slots at Massachusetts racetracks, such as Suffolk Downs, can be reduced to this: Slots parlors are depressing and tempt the poor. If we must have slots, he writes, “License a resort-style casino designed to compete with what’s in Connecticut,” and “Put it far from any urban center.” Yes, let’s — because when slots are played in a casino that’s frequented by surburban vacationers, gambling is wholesome entertainment. When slots are played trackside in the city — possibly by people so tacky they want ice in their chardonnay — it’s exploitation.
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Boston mayor Thomas Menino announced his support for racetrack slots in May and has since come under criticism for taking campaign donations from Suffolk Downs officials and owners, and now from other gambling industry executives. The Boston Herald reports that the mayor received $1,000 each from Wonderland dog track owner Charles Sarkis and Harrah’s Entertainment executive Gary Loveman.
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A slots deal between NYRA and New York horsemen is nearing conclusion. “We’re pretty close to a deal,” said Alan Foreman, the counsel for the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association. “We haven’t finalized anything, but I think we can get everything ironed out in the next 24 hours or so.” (Daily Racing Form)

Posted in State Issues on June 15, 2005

Mass. Slots Bills Pending

A least half a dozen slots bills are pending before a Massachusetts legislature committee, although it appears unlikely there will be any debate on the bills before the fall. (Cape Code Times)

Posted in State Issues on May 31, 2005

Signs of Life for Mass. Slots

The support of Boston mayor Thomas Menino for slot machines at state racetracks is bringing the issue back to life on Beacon Hill. No sign of a bill yet, though. Slots legislation was last introduced in 2003, when a bill legalizing slots came within 17 votes of passage. (Daily Item of Lynn)

Posted in State Issues on May 27, 2005

Mayor Menino Supports Slots

The Boston Herald reports that Boston mayor Thomas Menino has come out in favor of slot machines at Suffolk Downs. “People say it’s about gambling. I look at it differently,” said Menino. “It’s about jobs. It’s about revenue.” Good for Menino — but when will the state legislature act? Time is running out for the track. The New York-based real estate development firm Vornado recently bought a stake in Suffolk and is on the verge of drawing up a redevelopment proposal for the parcel along with Boston developer and Suffolk board member Stephen Karp. “Without slot machines in the near future, the racing at Suffolk will cease and the property will be developed,” said Suffolk president John Hall. The situation can’t be stated any more bluntly than that.
The Herald jumps in with a pro-slots editorial: “Allowing slot machines at the state’s four racetracks would be an industry bailout. But when an industry’s worth bailing out, what’s wrong with that?”
Interesting that Menino’s comments and the Herald’s editorial comes so soon after Sunday’s Hot Dog Safari. Seems like there may have been a little lobbying for slots going on among the hot dog eating and family fun.

Posted in State Issues on May 24, 2005

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