AEG OUT OF AQUEDUCT DEAL
After much back and forth about the legitimacy of the deal struck by Governor David Paterson and AEG, the Division of the Lottery in New York has refused to give the controversial investor group the slots bid at Aqueduct.
Because of this refusal, Paterson’s administration informed AEG the state has withdrawn their support of the organization.
No doubt this came as a result of the political pressure and lack of transparency in the bid process for the long anticipated VLTs at the Queens racetrack.
Then come back to the Paulick Report and let us know what you think
Tags: AEG, bloodhorse.com, bradford cummings, david paterson, Division of the Lottery, New York, Paulick Report, Queens, VLT
March 11th, 2010 at 2:50 pm
Oh, so Aqueduct WILL have the slots real soon, though?? NY is a joke.
March 11th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
I repeat, time to initiate a federal investigation to see what is really happening behind closed doors. Total corruption and administrative fraud is behind these delays. You can’t make up these timetable of events starting nearly a decade ago. Need to send some people to prison and get the VTL”s installed jgs
March 11th, 2010 at 3:07 pm
Politicians are the problem. They make self serving decisions and seldom give any thought to the electorate or the consequences.
March 11th, 2010 at 3:30 pm
Inexcusable and a total disgrace! New York State doesn’t deserve NYRA, formerly a kingdom of the horse with all its history and those decades of memories that it spawned! While not a shadow of itself now, nor a reflection of its founders, this classless act of indecency imposed upon it by less than a respectable or responsible group of individuals unfit to serve mankind; it has become a derelict symbol of modern politics!
Unable to service its mandate, it has become no more than a toy for trickery. Its jewels of fame and respect are being manipulated and neutered in a classless attempt to compete with the next round of gimmicks and perceptions of doom. The Belmont stakes draws 40,000 in a stand alone year, now its support is being ravished for a last stand against the windmills of the mind! The grade I’s are being stuffed in holes like claimers and unable to do the jobs of perfecting the breed. Belmont appears prepped for development. All confidence is eroded along with the money. The custodians are fleeing the Fort…and Kentucky will feel more pain by losing its meaning to continue the blueprint of pedigree. What a pity! How desperate! As the class erodes, so goes the sport and any reason to be there! The crapshooters won’t wine, they welcome the change. They think its for them. There is no conception that when you sell out you make the decision to eliminate any chance that a new younger group of horseracing participants will ever have the chance again! The King is dying. Forgive them for they know not what they do !
March 11th, 2010 at 3:41 pm
Whoops….and another one bites the dust! (to be sung with the music by Queen).
Just exactly when are the voters of NY going to make the deadweights in Albany bite the dust?
March 11th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Makes me proud to say I’m FROM New York!
March 11th, 2010 at 5:11 pm
“I promise not to send you anything about NYS’s current & even more hapless governor, David Paterson (Spitzer’s successor), who will be resigning any day now - & in doing so, will prolong, into eternity, the selection of the company that a decade ago was theoretically designated to install the Aqueduct slots. ”
in other words, the capital of China will once again be in Outer Mongolia before AQ is a slot-equipped slum.
March 11th, 2010 at 5:35 pm
Has AEG or anyone connected with them every run a Casino or Racino? Why would anyone select them over the proven players that were also a part of this process?
March 11th, 2010 at 5:38 pm
This is what happens when your state government is dominated by The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight. What a mess, what a joke, what a disgrace. Three times they’ve tried to give a casino away, and three times the government messed it up. Only in New York State. What makes anyone believe the fourth time will be the charm? Why are we even bothering with this project? It’s obviously not going to happen. Just close and sell Aqueduct, move all the racing to Belmont and Saratoga and let NYRA run a stunted meet from March through November each year.
March 11th, 2010 at 7:27 pm
Doesn’t matter. THERE WILL NEVER BE SLOTS AT AQUEDUCT OR BELMONT. When will people get it??
March 11th, 2010 at 8:02 pm
The good news is that Senate leader Sampson understands the state and NY’s thoroughbred industry needs Aqueduct VLTs ASAP and Senate Racing Com. Chair Eric Adams and Assembly Racing Com. Chair J. Gary Pretlow said the bidding process should not be “re-started.” Now the legislators need to step up to the plate and insist a new bidder be chosen. SLGreen’s Hard Rock Group has casino experience as does Penn National. The Division of the Lottery should have already vetted them. ( I do not understand how it vetted AEG as eligible . ) Then toss a coin if the decision is too difficult for Silver, Sampson and Paterson to agree on.
March 11th, 2010 at 11:33 pm
Yes SL Green !, who doesn’t want Hard Rock across from Kennedy, it would be fantastic if done correctly, then you make a state wide racing channel , split ch.71 & ch. 73 to thoroughbreds & harness & let the NYCOTB television network run it. That department is the gem of the cooperation, with its handicapping shows from all over at very low cost, & the ability to run tracks from everywhere, screw NYRA!!! let them run full cards from Gulfstream, FG, etc. during NY racing,.with the odds wrapped around. Problem is need to rid the upper management at NYCOTB, not 1 knows a lick about the sport, if you have a half hour of comedy check out board meeting from last night on NYCOTB.com, the President doesn’t even speak & they are yucking it up in the face of closure with no plan. Then to save more money u ship the OTB television network to Aqueduct out of Times Square & get all that rent back, & let it be near the new casino to have a media presence & instant exposure to grow racing the right way!
March 12th, 2010 at 1:46 am
This is why racing is failing. Sure, there are other problems; but the number one problem racing has is being controlled by incompetent and corrupt state governments.
March 12th, 2010 at 9:55 am
Ralf, NYCOTB is the worst run organization in horse-racing. 146 managers averaging 6 figure salary’s and $11M in overtime!! 69 branches, 12 of which have NOT operated out of the red in the last 10 years. Pension plans and post retirement calculating $650M in debt for the State. Leases and labor union contracts negotiated based on fat and collusion. $2M in TV and Marketing that directly competes with the rest of the NY market. A telephone operation which employees 236 employees in MID-TOWN Manhattan for Christ sakes. Pathetic.
March 12th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
Making lemons from lemonade dept. - opportunity missed- Not getting in on the ‘Gov Paterson to Resign by 6/30′ auction on Intrade.com — when it was selling at 25!
March 12th, 2010 at 10:42 pm
John, I am in total agreement with you, those numbers are pathetic, but what I was saying is that i have noticed over the last few years that the television network of OTB has been great! They brought in some real class with a band of handicappers that dont chase chalk like every single handicapper on any simulcast, the show OUT OF THE GATE has been brilliant,& so informative to the novice or the expert, the fact that OTB can show races from Canada, Dubai, France, Hong Kong etc. gives them a certain dynamic going forward to build off what they have started, certainly ch. 71 was a junkyard in the past, but whoever is in charge seems to have a knack of racing knowledge by the way the programming is presented., with what looks like not state of the art equipment as far as TV materials (effects,graphics, etc.) If there ever was a state wide racing channel, I would think the gang at NYCOTB TV should get that call based on the coverage ive seen, TVG is too California laden , as is HRTV, ESPN has some nice talent but we all know it’s the 25th sport on there list.And if they could just get more money sent there way instead of paying overaged, fat nobodys in the ranks u may be able to launch a TVG New York style in an entertainment setting with the slots at Aqueduct . Keep up the great work!!