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http://blogs.timesunion.com/capitol/
Silver Speaks Ill of VLTs, Bruno
by James M. Odato

… Silver told reporters today he continues to dislike the notion of video lottery terminals at Belmont Park and doesn’t understand why supporters of such betting machines have such loftly expectations of revenues from them.

Silver said putting VLTs at Belmont would likely hurt a proposed casino at the Aqueduct track and the one already struggling at Yonkers Raceway, where per-machine revenues are well below expectations.

“People who have sold this idea of VLTts say $400 a day in revenue. It hasn’t happened anywhere in the state - not at Yonkers . . . Monticello. None of them have broken $200 a day. To put more machines five minutes from the existing authorization is only going to provide a saturation of machines . . . I really don’t understand, and the case has not been made to me . … as to why these machines at Belmont are so critical to the operation of the State of New York.” …

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/01/04/2008-01-04_silver_opposes_belmont_video_lottery-1.html
Silver opposes Belmont video lottery
By Joe Mahoney

… Silver said he was out to prevent a "saturation" of gambling in the city and suburbs. He said gamblers will have plenty of opportunities to risk their money at Aqueduct, once the Queens track becomes a full-fledged "racino" featuring thousands of VLTs. The harness race track in Yonkers already has the machines, he said.

… Despite the delays, Silver insisted, "Negotiations are now moving ahead," and the franchise agreement could be hashed out by the time an extension awarded to the New York Racing Association expires on Jan. 23.

A spokesman for Bruno said Belmont, located in Nassau County just across the Queens border, needs VLTs to become "a true tourist destination." …

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=652381&category=OPINION&newsdate =1/4/2008
NYRA's board blinked, and horse racing in New York won
By Fred LeBrun

…at the end of the day there will be few surprises over the franchise renewal. NYRA will run racing, Saratoga will remain unchanged and largely unaffected; there will be no VLTs at Belmont, and Aqueduct will be essentially a casino with horse sweat.

The major hold-up in getting a permanent agreement has been the bone-headed board of trustees governing NYRA. The current board has been unusually stubborn about staying in place, and that's caused all kinds of delay. For the longest time, the assumption was the governor's office had the resignations of the sitting board members in hand, and that members would eventually do their duty. That turned out to be not so. And efforts to remove the sitting board met with extreme resistance, creating a frustrating impasse.

… The latest board-busting move worked out between Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver, the governor and Bruno simply shrinks the size of the board, and its makeup. Bruno has been instrumental in insisting the new board have a far broader representation from the horse racing industry than the current owners and breeders.

NYRA will continue to have a majority on the new board, but with nine fewer actual appointees than it has now. A neat twist of the knife, because in that arrangement NYRA has to reduce its own representation and sack some board members who are adamant on staying.

… Bruno is right for wanting more transparent oversight of NYRA, and changing the makeup of the governing board. That, and getting quality individuals on the new board, which comes at the insistence of the governor's office.

Along with the reconstituted board, we are apt to see new benchmarks established to grade NYRA periodically on how it's doing compared to the rest of the country, and advisory groups peeking in on its activities …

http://leftatthegate.blogspot.com/20...tes-jan-3.html

… I have it on good authority that the take at Yonkers is over $200 - it was reported to be $230 in this column from October - but Silver certainly makes a reasonable point given the disappointing VLT numbers we've seen. If there's only to be one racino, I personally think that Belmont makes a lot of sense for a number of reasons. Besides it size and accessibility via the railroad, an upscale establishment at Belmont could be marketed to the affluent Long Island suburbs just to its east; people who can actually afford it. I could see my parents making the trip from nearby Manhasset to see Steve and Edyie at Belmont; but probably not in Ozone Park.

OK, maybe in Ozone Park too. The fact is that without slots, Aqueduct would probably shut down, which would be a disaster for New York racing as far as I'm concerned, so of course it has to have them. Silver is looking to tie other issues in with the franchise, and will certainly demand a heavy price for his giving in on the issue. …