New York Franchise Award Recommendation May Come Nov. 21

[JustRalph]

I have ignored this thread and the NYRA story on purpose just because I knew it would come down to the the last minute and the worst possible state government except maybe Ohio and Michigan, it's a draw really except New York is the king of finding a new way to tax right in the middle of a crisis, and I am sure they will this time. I decided to catch up today with the end of the year on us.

I knew they would find a way to continue fighting past their deadline. New York Horse players will end up paying for this. I wouldn't be surprised if the citizens of New York get a back door job done to them somehow. It is in the genes of the State Government. Instinct is strong............

Amazingly embarrassing and dysfunctional is this process, yet it still continues unabated. This process should truly be a permanent stain on those involved. Yet I predict they will all come out glad handing each other and announcing to the world how they have saved racing in New York. There will be ribbon cutting and celebrations and somewhere somebodies brother in law will get rich. Carry on New York! The flagship of wronging your citizens and finding a way to pick their pockets. Long may you wave............

As somebody who used to play New York tracks.........and frankly has gotten over not having them available to me............. I am not so sure that I want my money encouraging this kind of activity in the future. Not when I get treated so well in other jurisdictions.

[Indulto]

http://www.horseraceinsider.com/John-Pricci/
Bruno and Hayward Coming Saturday to a Computer Near You
By John Pricci

… In the interests of morbid curiosity, you can tune into “Down the Stretch,” Capital OTB's weekly magazine show hosted by Mark Cusano and Michael Veitch. The show airs in New York’s Capital District on basic cable channel 12 and begins at 10 a.m., EST. Scheduled as guests are Senator Bruno and Charlie Hayward.

Hayward refused to comment on the extension yesterday but it will be interesting to see if that position changes overnight. At the close of business yesterday, NYRA announced that it had signed non-exclusive wagering-platform agreements with Youbet.com and TrackNet Media. Resultantly, NYRA's races will be available for simulcast wagering virtually everywhere, and would seen on both HRTV and TVG. That appears to solve the simulcast issue from NYRA's perspective. It will be interesting to see Bruno's reaction to this development and how the 11th-hour simulcasting accords ultimately affects resolution of the franchise question. The ball clearly has moved into Mr. Bruno's court.

If you live outside the New York area, you can see "Down the Stretch" by logging on to http://www.capitalotb.com and clicking on the program link.

[Indulto]

Originally Posted by JustRalph

I have ignored this thread and the NYRA story on purpose just because I knew it would come down to the the last minute and the worst possible state government except maybe Ohio and Michigan, it's a draw really except New York is the king of finding a new way to tax right in the middle of a crisis, and I am sure they will this time. I decided to catch up today with the end of the year on us.

I knew they would find a way to continue fighting past their deadline. New York Horse players will end up paying for this. I wouldn't be surprised if the citizens of New York get a back door job done to them somehow. It is in the genes of the State Government. Instinct is strong............

Amazingly embarrassing and dysfunctional is this process, yet it still continues unabated. This process should truly be a permanent stain on those involved. Yet I predict they will all come out glad handing each other and announcing to the world how they have saved racing in New York. There will be ribbon cutting and celebrations and somewhere somebodies brother in law will get rich. Carry on New York! The flagship of wronging your citizens and finding a way to pick their pockets. Long may you wave............

As somebody who used to play New York tracks.........and frankly has gotten over not having them available to me............. I am not so sure that I want my money encouraging this kind of activity in the future. Not when I get treated so well in other jurisdictions.

JR,
Corrupt politicians can be found in every state. Some of California's elected representatives are now behind bars. More should be. Our answer to gridlock was to recall the governor. We're about to lose a Grade I venue to developers because carpetbagging CDI came in, ruined Hollywood Park, and then sold it to a land developer rather than a buyer interested in running a racetrack. At least the NY pols show up at Saratoga.

NYRA has the lowest takeout, makes the greatest effort to protect the bettor from fraud, maintains two of the best racing plants on the continent, and showcases more of the best horses most frequently. What have your "jurisdictions" got to recommend them?

[Indulto]

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--racingfranchise1229dec29,0,5552337.story
NYRA gets extension for racing franchise

… The state Racing and Wagering Board acknowledged receipt of the New York Racing Association's request to continue operating New York's thoroughbred tracks through Jan. 23, but board members agreed they didn't legally need to vote on it for racing at Aqueduct to continue.

NYRA's franchise to operate the state's three thoroughbred race tracks, including Belmont and Saratoga, expires Monday. Racing officials noted Saturday that a special state Oversight Board already has the authority to keep racing going temporarily.

NYRA asked them to keep its license request confidential for competitive reasons. …

http://www.drf.com/news/article/91254.html
Good possibility Aqueduct will run Jan. 1
By MATT HEGARTY

… Shortly after the Saturday board meeting, Bruno appeared on a television show sponsored by Capital OTB Corporation and said that a long-term deal on a NYRA franchise extension was “down to a couple of details,” but his comments were clearly based on his version of a deal.

… Hayward appeared right after Bruno on the show, and he said he “wished he could share the senator’s view that we are that close.” Hayward said he didn’t want to provide details about the current deal under negotiation.

… Bruno said the Republican-controlled senate would be ready to pass a bill extending NYRA’s franchise when the legislature returns to session on Jan. 9, but did not provide details about the legislation. At one point, Bruno repeated language he has used previously that called for other companies to run some of NYRA’s business operations – such as simulcasting – a prospect that NYRA has steadfastly resisted.

Bruno said one of the stumbling blocks on a deal is the 30-year extension sought by Spitzer and NYRA. Bruno has been pushing for a 15-year extension that would be reviewed every five years by a state oversight board. According to officials involved in the negotiations, Bruno softened his stance on Friday to a 20-year extension.

… Bruno also repeated assertions that he favored the legalization of slot machines at Belmont Park. The legalization of slots is favored by NYRA, Spitzer, and a large number of casino and real-estate development companies that have been aggressively lobbying the legislature, but the proposal is opposed by assembly speaker Sheldon Silver.

… “What is wrong with getting people like that involved?” Bruno said, referencing the real estate and casino companies. “NYRA hasn’t done it. And they’ve had years to do it. So we’re saying, let the professional business people do what they do best, and let NYRA do what they do best, which is running racing.”

[Mag]

http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=42914

[hibiscus]

Somebody help me out here. Has Bruno ever once mentioned the anticipated benefit of having someone other than NYRA run the simulcasting? Why is he so anal on that deal point? It’s such a 180 from common sense and so obviously punitive to NYRA (or beneficial to one of his buddies) I’m amazed he hasn’t been called on it more often. Maybe I missed something.

[Indulto]

http://paulmoranattheraces.blogspot.com/2007/12/bruno-end-in-near-hayward-maybe.html
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Bruno: The end in near; Hayward: Maybe
By Paul Moran

… A showdown would have been better.

A showdown would have made public Sen. Joe Bruno’s nonsensical, irrational stance on franchise issue. Drop the gloves. Lock the gates at Aqueduct. ...

... The New York Racing Association will likely sidestep what promised to be high drama when it accepted a three-week extension of the franchise to allow the nonsense in Albany more time to reach the conclusion that has been elusive in the face of Bruno’s obstructionist and intransigent position on matters that are essentially inconsequential to anyone else.

Bruno has apparently backed off on his position that NYRA’s simulcast signal be awarded to a third party and the term of the franchise, while it may fall short of 30 years, will approach that period of time as well as his demand that the NYRA board step down en masse.The senator also indicated that an operator for the VLT facility at Aqueduct has been chosen but declined to be more specific. …

http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=42914
State Fails to Approve NYRA Deal
by Tom Precious

… After the meeting, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno confirmed that he has relaxed some of his previous demands, including his longstanding insistence that NYRA relinquish to an outside company such things as its simulcasting business.

… Bruno also appeared to drop demands that Belmont be permitted to open a VLT casino, and he hinted in the interview that top NYRA officials would not have to resign – as he had been demanding for several weeks.

Bruno, under mounting pressure by Saratoga Springs business interests concerned about next summer’s meet, did continue his opposition to a 30-year extension for NYRA, a time period NYRA and Spitzer agreed to in September. “What’s magic about 30 years?’’ he said. He added the franchise would be for at least 20 years.

Bruno said there would be beefed up oversight of NYRA during set timetables to see if certain benchmarks are being accomplished, and that the board would be “reconstituted.’’ He did not elaborate. The sides have already agreed the NYRA board would be reduced from its present 28-member size.

But NYRA Chairman Charles Hayward, who followed Bruno on the show, said he did not share the lawmaker’s optimism about the negotiations. He said there were some “substantial’’ issues still outstanding; he did not name them and Hayward did not immediately return calls for comment. …

[Indulto]

http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/national-news/2007/December/29/NYRA-extension-agreement-uncertain-after-meeting-with-regulators.aspx
NYRA extension agreement uncertain after meeting with regulators
by Paul Post

… On Thursday, NYRA reached an agreement with the state to keep operating beyond midnight Monday, when its current franchise expires. But the deal hinged on the state Racing and Wagering Board granting NYRA a license for the period January 1 to January 23.

Meeting in emergency session, the Racing and Wagering board on Saturday refused to vote on NYRA’s license application, saying their approval is not necessary. NYRA President Charles Hayward said NYRA will have to study its options before deciding on a next course of action.

“We’re disappointed,” he said immediately after the meeting, held at state Lottery Division headquarters in Schenectady, New York.

… NYRA submitted its extension application to the Racing and Wagering Board shortly after noon on Friday. The board, which regulates all types of racing and gaming, studied the application’s legal ramifications late into the night, Chairman Daniel Hogan said.

… “Everyone involved wants to see racing going forward,” Hogan said. “We’ve done our part to make sure racing continues on January 1. There’s got to be an agreement between the governor and the Legislature.”

Hayward said he does not believe the board deliberately tried to keep NYRA from running the tracks and described the situation as “a bump in the road.”

“Racing law has a lot of different parts to it,” he said. “It’s really a matter of interpretation.”

http://www.drf.com/news/article/91257.html
NYRA: Aqueduct staying open no sure thing
By MATT HEGARTY

New York Racing Association officials would not say with certainty on Saturday that Aqueduct would stay open after Monday, Dec. 31, when NYRA’s franchise to run three racetracks expires. NYRA has said it reached an agreement with the state to continue operating until Jan. 23, and on Saturday the New York State Racing and Wagering Board met to decide whether to approve the agreement. But the board determined that it did not have the power to rule on the agreement.

The lack of a ruling – and the byzantine structure of New York racing law and regulation – casts doubt on whether political leaders and NYRA would be able to forge an agreement to keep Aqueduct open on Jan. 1.

“I think it’s a very good possibility” that NYRA will open on Jan. 1, Hayward said. “But we want to make sure we’re doing everything right under the law and that our rights are protected.”

During an emergency meeting of the racing and wagering board on Saturday that lasted four minutes, members of the board unanimously agreed with Robert Feuerstein, its legal counsel, that the board had no power to approve NYRA’s agreement with the state. After the meeting, Dan Toomey, a spokesman for the board, explained that under the racing and wagering board’s interpretation of the law, only the Non-Profit Racing Association Oversight Board has the power to determine who will run Aqueduct after Dec. 31, making NYRA’s request it approve the agreement with the state to be licensed moot.

“It wasn't necessary to act on their request,” Toomey said.

NYRA officials said on Saturday afternoon that they were meeting with officials of the oversight board – which was created in 2005 to monitor NYRA’s operations – to work on language in the temporary agreement that would protect NYRA’s rights to owning Aqueduct, Belmont and Saratoga. The law that created the oversight board gave the agency the right to select an operator for the tracks if NYRA’s franchise expired without a successor named or an extension.

The board was called into emergency session on Friday to consider the agreement, which was reached between NYRA, the state’s attorney general, and the oversight board on Thursday night, NYRA officials have said. NYRA has not allowed any documents relating to the agreement to be made public, and has asked that they be protected under the state’s Freedom of Information Law. The law gives state agencies the right to block the release of documents if it believes information in them is sensitive or proprietary. …

Makes you wonder what protection being licensed would have given NYRA and why the wagering board deemed it necessary to avoid getting involved. Sounds intentional to me. $$$$?

[Indulto]

http://equidaily.com/

NY FRANCHISE:
>>> VIDEO: Sen Joe Bruno and NYRA prez Charlie Hayward on Saturday morning's 'Down the Stretch' with Mark Cusano and Mike Veitch form Capital-OTB TV [program is looped on a stream]

[Indulto]

Very thoughtful article from the "Troy Record" columnist who also contributes comments to the Pricci Blog:

http://www.troyrecord.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/BigDaily?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_article&r21.pgpa th=%2FTRD%2FSports%2FHorse+Racing&r21.content=%2FT RD%2FSports%2FHorse+Racing%2FHeadlineList_Story_13 36106
Don't blame Senator Joe?
By Nick Kling

… If you took a poll among racing industry stakeholders and others with an interest in the franchise, Senator Bruno would be the favorite to label as the person most responsible for holding up a final solution. I had the opportunity to speak frankly with the Senator about that on Wednesday. He respectfully rejected that notion, …

… the Governor should accept the resignation of current board members. "But that doesn't mean some couldn't be part of a 'new' board," Bruno said. He went on to note that many of the individuals on the NYRA board are people who have accomplished great things.

… He believes that the NYRA Trustees have failed to stem the flow of red ink which led the association to declare bankruptcy. "If any other board were in the same situation, wouldn't they have a fiduciary responsibility to repay the money?" he said. However, he did not suggest the NYRA Trustees (who serve in an unpaid capacity) should be required to do that. When asked if a reconstituted NYRA board would have to consist of a majority of state appointees, Senator Bruno said, "Absolutely not."

… As for NYRA's claim that it owns the land and property which comprise the racetracks, Bruno indicated doubts about the validity of such an assertion. …

… Senator Bruno did acknowledge that a legal challenge would delay a franchise resolution, which, in turn, could do harm to the industry.

… NYRA does have a history of colossal mismanagement. It began with the imperious way the association dismissed off-track betting in the 1970s as "gambling, not racing." It continued in the late 1980s with customer service from hell. …

… Bruno's Trustee issue is a double-edged sword. Some current members are state appointees. When the Non-Profit Racing Oversight Committee was proposed during Gov. George Pataki's administration, I asked Bruno at that time why the state-appointed Trustees and the New York State Racing and Wagering Board couldn't provide enough oversight. He acknowledged both could have done more to reign in NYRA's excesses. …

[the little guy]

I completely disagree Indulto and think Nick, who I like, was somehow overly excited that Bruno spoke to him. Bruno has no plan and has never had a plan.....other than to try to help his friends. He has subverted this process for months now out of personal animus. He has made insane suggestions, like the State negotiating simulcast rights, with little to no understanding of the situation. Hell, as late as this Fall he publicly said Magna should be considered. For Nick Kling to now suggest that " Bruno makes some valid points " is absurd.

I only hope Mr. Bruno receives the welcome he has richly earned when he shows his face ( which he does pretty much everyday ) in Saratoga.

[aaron]

I agree Bruno is a phony with self serving interests,but I don't see how you can argue about the onerall failure of NYRA and the system for over 30 years. Didn't Bill Nader negoiate the simulcasting fees that are now in place ?
The signal was sold cheap and undervalued,that can not be argued. Who would be best to negoiate simulcast fees ? If anyone has an opinion I'd be interested to hear it.

[the little guy]

Originally Posted by aaron

I agree Bruno is a phony with self serving interests,but I don't see how you can argue about the onerall failure of NYRA and the system for over 30 years. Didn't Bill Nader negoiate the simulcasting fees that are now in place ?
The signal was sold cheap and undervalued,that can not be argued. Who would be best to negoiate simulcast fees ? If anyone has an opinion I'd be interested to hear it.

The undervaluing of one's signal was commited by all the big players in the industry in the mid 90s. That was clearly a mistake. Let's not pretend that NYRA made some isolated blunder with everyone snickering behind their back.

Who would be best to negotiate simulcast fees? Well, the easier question would be who would be worst. That's a layup.....somebody in the government who knows absolutely nothing about the business, or the players, and might, just might, be operating with some sort of favoritism....wink....wink.

Who would be best? The people who control the signal....NYRA. They know the rates in the industry and what they can and cannot do. You can't possibly believe they are currently selling their signal for less than they could receive....do you? Isn't this apparent from what transpired this week, with NYRA making their signal available to all players, and thankfully Bruno dropping his insistance on taking that right out of NYRA's hands?

[Indulto]

Originally Posted by the little guy

I completely disagree Indulto and think Nick, who I like, was somehow overly excited that Bruno spoke to him.

A few things to consider, tlg:
1) I said his piece was thoughtful. I didn't say I agreed with it.
2) I did not attach any significance to the "valid points" statement.
3) Kling put a question mark in the title.
4) Kling took the obstruction issue right to Bruno.
5) Kling had already burned Bruno in a previous piece.

Bruno has no plan and has never had a plan.....other than to try to help his friends. He has subverted this process for months now out of personal animus. He has made insane suggestions, like the State negotiating simulcast rights, with little to no understanding of the situation. Hell, as late as this Fall he publicly said Magna should be considered. For Nick Kling to now suggest that " Bruno makes some valid points " is absurd.

I only hope Mr. Bruno receives the welcome he has richly earned when he shows his face ( which he does pretty much everyday ) in Saratoga.

I don't disgree with what you just said, but at this point, I'm inclined to give Kling credit for providing a public service by letting Bruno appear to be saving face while he continues to make concessions.

But I have to give you credit too, tlg, for keeping the pressure on, and not taking any prisoners.

Keep snarling, and make sure your mother doesn't vote to re-elect him.

[the little guy]

Originally Posted by Indulto

and make sure your mother doesn't vote to re-elect him.

I can take a lot, but even suggesting my Mother would consider such a thing is going too far.

Hell, she would probably even vote for you if you were running against him.