IS WILLIAMS A HYPOCRITE ON GAMBLING ISSUE?
Why does David Williams, the president of the Kentucky Senate, seem bent on keeping the issue of slot machines off the Senate floor? Is it possibly because the Republican from Burkesville might be criticized there for being an “anti-gambling” hypocrite who likes to play blackjack at casinos in nearby states that benefit from Kentucky’s inaction on legislation designed to bring slot machines to racetracks in the Bluegrass State.
Williams’ strong-armed strategy is to kill the House-passed VLT bill in the Senate’s Appropriations and Revenue Committee, where Republicans have a decided majority. Proponents of the bill are asking that it deserves to get an up or down vote in the full Senate. The A & R Committee is expected to meet Monday evening.
“David Williams needs to say he’s got a conflict of interest on the slots issue,” said veterinarian Arnold Pessin, a former partner in Kentucky Downs (formerly Dueling Grounds) who has been pushing for slots at Kentucky racetracks for more than decade. “Williams gambles on the riverboats in Indiana and Mississippi, which means he has a relationship with those businesses. Indiana and Mississippi casinos will be hurt if the slots bill passes in Kentucky. Who is David Williams representing on this issue? That’s what I want to know. Is he representing the people of Kentucky or the owners of those riverboats in Indiana and Mississippi? Someone needs to call him out on this.”
Pessin went on to say that Williams is not an opponent of gambling in Kentucky. “His alternate proposal would tax the lottery and increase takeout on out of state bets on Kentucky racing,” Pessin said. “If the lottery ain’t gambling, what is it? And the idea of increasing takeout on out of state bets on Kentucky racing is idiotic.”
The next step in this process is to simply ask that members of the Senate A & R Committee allow the bill to reach the Senate floor for an up and down vote. Interested parties should make phone calls or send faxes and e-mails to members of the A & R Committee. There are five Republican members of that committee that should specifically be lobbied: Ernie Harris, whose district includes Jefferson County (Louisville) , Dan Kelly, whose district includes Marion County (where there are numerous horse farms), Alice Forgy Kerr, whose district includes Fayette County, Brandon Smith, Gary Tapp , and Elizabeth Tori, whose district includes Jefferson County. Also, Independent Bob Leeper who caucuses with the Republicans also needs to hear from you. Click on their names to get contact information.
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Tags: Appropriations and Revenue Committee, Arnold Pessin, Dan Kelly, david williams, Dueling Grounds, Elizabeth Tori, Ernie Harris, Gary Tapp, Garydon Smith, kentucky downs, kentucky senate, Paulick Report, racetrack slots, Ray Paulick, video lottery terminals
June 21st, 2009 at 8:32 am
I will be extending an invitation to all the political hypocrites of Kentucky, citizens of the state and horsemen based in the Bluegrass State to visit the seven Ohio racetracks when the pending slot machines proposal for each facility becomes a reality.
June 21st, 2009 at 9:07 am
Great article Ray, I wrote a post which sums him up quite well:
oddsonfavorite.blogspot.com
June 21st, 2009 at 9:33 am
Pessin went on to say that Williams is not an opponent of gambling in Kentucky. “
His alternate proposal would tax the lottery and increase takeout on out of state bets
n Kentucky racing,†Pessin said.
“If the lottery ain’t gambling, what is it?
And the idea of increasing takeout on out of state bets on Kentucky racing is idiotic.â€
____________________________
Once again.
I’d like to inquire precisely what is the reason for all of this hullaballoo?
So the Churchill Downs horsemen can race
in Maiden Special races worth $75,000 and allowance races worth $90,000?
It’s illogical and unprecedented.
Quite simply the racing stock in the mid-west is just not worth that much purse money.
The current purse levels are clearly commensurate with the equine talent
that is now racing at Churchill and Keeneland. Why overpay as they do in other racing states?
June 21st, 2009 at 10:06 am
As stated…”just send the bill to the floor for a straight up-down vote” and stop this crap that is political posturing due to special interest’s influence, albeit seemingly out of state interests. When did these jerks forget our form of government…democracy? Shennanigans in committees and “proceedural crap” (fillabuster, etc) have got to stop (the Feds too, btw). KY legislators have to remember that they represent the people of KY too and if you have a lottery, then you GOT gambling already….share the pie, boys…share a piece of the pie.
Just exactly who pissed you off in the fiefdom of KY government or the horse industry, Mr. Williams?…recuse yourself! Or let everyone review ALL your financial records and those of your family or businesses.
June 21st, 2009 at 10:38 am
Arnold Pessin needs to come clean. He is the one with the conflict of interest.
Dr. Pessin needs to disclose if the sales contract for Kentucky Downs contains a retroactive clause that will provide a windfall for him if slots are installed at Kentucky Downs.
I do not think he is a disinterested party.
He also needs to explain why Kentucky Downs, with which he is familiar, needs to operate slots for 91 days for each race card they run.
This bill is not about helping regular people involved in the horse business. This is a bill to enrich already wealthy track operators at the expense of the poor and elderly residents of Kentucky.
June 21st, 2009 at 11:00 am
In all this talk about helping the wealthy, where do opponents fail to realize that a healthy horse racing industry in Kentucky is good for everyone. So what if it wealthy people make some money.. where there’s risk there’s reward. Please don’t invoke the old argument about the poor and elderly. Do you get the fact that an estimated one BILLION dollars is being spent by Kentuckians in neighboring casinos? As for as the quality of horses in the mid-west.. do you think maybe there’s a cause and effect at play? Good horses are going to follow the money. How else do you explain the quality horses coming out of races at tracks like Sunland Park which has slots. Wake up. This state has been built on the backs of gamblers and horse racing. Seems like Mr. Williams isn’t the only hypocrite in town.
June 21st, 2009 at 11:14 am
Isn’t the REAL issue, the fact that horse racing can no longer be self sustaining WITHOUT substantial income from NON related industries? Yes, slot machines will add income to purses, but the fact that pulling a lever is more alluring to the average person than watching a Thoroughbred run is beyond sad, it’s tragic.
June 21st, 2009 at 11:14 am
Let’s start with the obvious…no one involved is a “disinterested party” with regard to slots at KY tracks. If the poor and the elderly play the lottery, your concern is misplaced. While you are at it, tell me none of KY’s poor or elderly are hopping on bus trips (chartered or otherwise) to adjoining states for a “day of fun” at gaming venues. They got ‘em in VA and MD ALL the time! To PA, DE, WV, etc.
I thought the slots issue for tracks was to increase purses to be able to compete with adjoining states that have slots and other forms of gambling at tracks. Dr. Pessin got a piece of the company that would put the slots in? That the windfall? Because I didn’t understand the KY Downs ref. And you didn’t say anything about Williams…he your archangel? If he is, ask him why he games over state lines and disdains the same for the state he represents.
This is getting stupid…straight vote on the floor, up or down is the request. Last I checked, Williams is jockeying (pun intended) to not let the floor vote happen. How is that fair?
June 21st, 2009 at 11:46 am
Racing needs to figure out how to use its own products(s) to pull itself up by its own boostraps to show that it provides a viable form of sport and entertainment in order to engage the public enough to exist.
I want top-class racing in Kentucky as much as the next guy or gal, but not if we have to do it on the backs of poor people playing slots.
Racing needs to change its model, not piggyback on a form of gambling that is detrimental to the families of the residents of the bluegrass.
Racing, if it is to be a responsible member of the community, needs to do better than that. C’mon racing, get creative and compete.
Pessin is quite the poster boy for our side, huh?
June 21st, 2009 at 11:52 am
If the slots legislation is so importatd,{ I think it is} the horsemen and tracks should close until the legislation is passed. It is the only way to get some action from the senate. Churchill has been certainly going down the drain the past two seasons. First I could not bet the track on line last year and now this year the trainers I like have move to Indiana, New York ,Penn. and to Delaware Park. This is from someone who has bet Churchill for 45 years.
June 21st, 2009 at 11:58 am
Barry Irwin, with all due respect, what is all this business of poor people playing slots? In my local casino there are plenty of affluent people engaging in this mindless activity. It may not be all that palatable, but the plan for slots is to keep gambling dollars in Kentucky that are now draining to other states. The unwashed poor argument is frankly starting to sound manipulative. Can the poor not control themselves? Then really we shouldn’t have betting at tracks because they might lose all their money, there, too.
June 21st, 2009 at 12:53 pm
It is almost impossible to bet tracks supported by slots. You can not bet Indiana tracks or Penn. tracks, for in most instances the pools are too small. Having been a t-bred supporter for many years, both working at the track, owning horses in the Michigan area, and a strong on line better I do support slots for the tracks. I do hope when larger tracks get the slot the betting pools will increase and I will be able to continue my play. Michigan Is an example of what happens to racing when support from the legislature becomes no existant. Michigan was once a great racing state, but now it sucks. In Michigan there are many casinos but no support for the horsemen. Like many other things today, people like the easy way out. Slots take no thought only money to play. I now go to the casino once a week although during the down turn I have cut that back to once or twice a month, I never go to the track, only bet online.
June 21st, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Barry
I don’t know why but you don’t seem to be on the same side as Doc and myself. As for poor old Bill..you are still obsessed with Ky Downs
Ky Blue..you are so correct…for the nay sayers…ever heard of Pascal’s Wager?
so you don’t have to look too hard bill..Its a wager with an infinite upside and no downside!
The money is leaving the State already..let’s keep it here!
June 21st, 2009 at 1:37 pm
“Someone needs to call him out on this.” said Dr. Arnold Pessin, speaking of Senator David Williams. Hey, Dr.Pessin, as you are making the accusation and you have supporting evidence (I assume) why don’t you call him out ? People in stonehouses should not throw glass. The ‘people in glasshouses’ maxim does not fit here, because there is nothing transparent in the whole affair.
Barry Irwin and just about everybody wants top-class racing. Most of us don’t want it “on the backs of” anyone, rich or poor. We want racing to be able to carry itself with the support of volunteers. The volunteers are those who of their own freewill want to view or gamble on horseracing. Gambling in any form is not forced on our citizenry. They gamble because, for whatever basic reason, they elect to gamble. Perhaps horses or machines make it easier, but if not available - there are still cockroaches climbing walls, coin tossing or marbles.
With due allowance for my personal bias, horseracing is one of the few gambling forms that actually requires brains and study if making money is the gamblers objective. If making money is not the objective, then it does not matter a damn what form it takes.
(I do not ignore the many who bet on racing for the fun it, based on the color of horse or silks, post-position number or sex appeal of the jockey.) I am certain a slot machine of any kind does not have one of those attributes.
If racing, on it’s merits, cannor beat the other forms, racing does not deserve to be subsidized. How can racing come out ahead ?
First, treat the customer as someone you are happy to see and would like to see again and again. Sure that is basic, however the CD management does not know it or does not wish to practice it.
Second, as repeatedly argued by Fred Pope, change the Federal act so that the track that puts on the show of live racing, gets the bulk of the spoils.
Third, let the tracks that don’t want to continue staging live racing close their doors. No live racing ? So, no simulcasting.
Fourth, establish a circuit on the triangle of Keeneland/Turfway/Churchill. Don’t stay at any track for more than two weeks. Then nobody in the immediate area gets bored with the whole thing.
Fifth. Run more races at distances beyond a mile. The public likes to see the horses pass the grandstand more than once.
Finally, I’ll bet that every patron can come up with many more ideas that will make them want to go racing. Whoever is actually responsible for the good health of the sport should be out asking the questions. Unfortunately, I don’t believe anyone can say, who IS actually responsible for the good health of the sport. Isn’t that curious?
June 21st, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Irwin is precisely correct. Without addressing the deep structural flaws that exists in the U.S. Thoroughbred industry, slot revenues will barely affect the downward trajectory of the game.
Does anyone see top-class racing at Delaware, Penn National, or any of the other slot-addicted tracks? Of course not. And giving away big(ger) purses to modest horses does nothing to strengthen the industry.
Now, if racetrack owners were to use their slot-related revenues to creatively attack the problems facing the game, then I’d be less staunchly opposed. But they won’t.
June 21st, 2009 at 1:48 pm
D. Masters…
No, you missed the point about Dr. Pessin and I will further explain because his involvement demonstrates the hypocrisy of the pro-slots side.
Dr. Pessin was an owner in Kentucky Downs. Despite the fact that he was located next to a major metropolitan area of $1.4 million people that is home to an NFL and NHL team, the track was one of the worst performing tracks in the country.
He sold the track to someone from Texas with no previous involvement in Kentucky horse racing. The whispers around the industry at the time were that the sales contract contained a provision that he would receive a huge payment in the future if slots were legalized at Kentucky Downs.
So now Dr. Pessin surfaces on the eve of the final judgement on slots claiming Senator Williams is a hypocrite. But Dr. Pessin does not admit he has a huge financial interest in whether this passes.
The fact of the matter is the tracks are pushing slots not to help the horse racing industry but to enrich themselves through the ownership of a casino. More than 60 cents of every dollar lost by Kentuckians will go, not to purses or taxes, but to the pockets of the track owners.
The greedy track owners would have some credibility if all of the slot proceeds went to taxes and purses…but they don’t…far less than half does.
Senator Williams has passed in the Senate a bill that will do everything for the industry they claim they want without enriching already wealthy track owners…if the track owners cared about racing they would rejoice and thank him instead of opposing Senator Williams.
I challenge Dr. Pessin to dispute any of these facts in this forum.
June 21st, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Billy Crockett:
I appreciate the explaination, but technically it does not answer my questions or would that be, “question” of Williams’ intent (especially as an elected official).
Your complaint is that Pessin has an after market/contract interest. Okay…that is not dishonest, per se. As to Williams’ bill, it still does not allow “SLOTS” at KY tracks. That sir, is a big problem if it appears (based on some posts here) that he gambles across state lines and then takes a position that gambling in KY at tracks is not right.
I’m not here to agree that slots/gaming other than betting on races will fix the problem of the horse racing industry. My concern is that other jurisdictions are allowing it, it raises purses and horsemen are leaving the Bluegrass State. That is the question here.
I’m not a fan of Bluegrass makes the best, all the time. I’m from California and love every nonKY-bred horse that can rub a KY-bred horse’s nose in the track dirt/turf/synthetic. BUT, and this is a big BUT…they breed some super horses, are basically the foundation of the modern racing TB/QH and continually have provided the best. I don’t relish this wrestling match with government toads, but I also do not appreciate the stunting of due process. It needs to be given a honest vote without monkeying around.
I guess what I’m saying is…”we got a weenie contest here…mine is bigger than yours and I’m gonna prove it by getting slots or not allowing them”. Can’t we all agree that this is really an ego contest at this point? Ain’t got nothing to do about truth, honesty or morality.
I don’t find Williams any more noble than Pessin.
June 21st, 2009 at 3:02 pm
Let’s cut to the chase here. If racing is going to get subsidies from the general public it should be seeking the least cost method of gaining those subsidies. Go straight to the state’s general fund….paid for by the general public (and business)….get the subsidy and see what difference subsidized purses make. No new physical facilities needed. ;No new laws needed. No mega-overhead to reward the sticky fingers from the slots pots. Just an up/down vote from the legislature. Does anyone realilze that this slots frenzy is at the mercy of the politicians and lobbyists and will serve racing only until new politicians and lobbyists come along seeking new uses for the revenue?
June 21st, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Pardon me while I choke on my eggs this am. with all this concern for the poor and elderly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The politicians in this state care for those groups, about as much as they care for the health and welfare of illegal aliens. If it were the long lost Indians of central Kentucky returning to Lexington to buy up Elmendorf Farm, putting it into a federal trust, and opening up the Leaping Lenapee Casino; everyone would swallow a whole bunch of white guy guilt and say “Hey great, let them injuns and their managers from Vegas, make as much money as they want. Grandma’s just havin herself a good time “. So let’s just leave the poor families and elderly out. No one in Frankfurter cares about them except on election day.
Williams likes to gamble in Indiana and Mississippi, and normally that’s a big so what, with me. But he should tell everyone why it’s ok to take that money out of state and toss it down the gambling drain in those states and not here. Nothing wrong with a vacation, lots of people take those, but when you’re patronizing and advancing the cause of out of state gambling interests you should let everyone know that you are, and not get caught up in a morality tale that you yourself cannot tell.
June 21st, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Jeremy Jet wrote:
Now, if racetrack owners were to use their slot-related revenues to creatively attack
he problems facing the game, then I’d be less staunchly opposed. But they won’t.
_______________
Exactly.
If you’re a racetrack owner and blessed with slots revenue,
why not use that towards fan education, lower takeouts, capital improvements
for the current clientele ?
I see no racinos addressing that issue.
Give a larger segment of the wagering public a chance to win and they will come back again.
Ultimately both the VLT and the Horse Racing wagering base is going to die off.
What then ?
June 21st, 2009 at 4:40 pm
You’re absolutely right, Mr. Abrahams. Horse racing needs to clean up it’s act and join the 21st century. I believe this is the wake up call the sport has been desperately needing. But as a bigger player in the game, you share some of the blame for business as usual, too.
Track operators are no different than any other business owners. They put up the money and provide the venue, thus they reap a large portion of the reward. Let me know if you come up with a business that doesn’t make turning a profit priority. Don’t get me wrong. I believe a track like Churchill Downs has a long way to go in the customer service department. But, horse racing as an industry can’t deny the tracks without creating it’s own undoing. Would you rather a Vegas casino operator do the job? Tracks already have the facilities in place and are equipped for crowds, parking, etc.
I would be a great thing if slots weren’t an issue in any state. But that reality has passed. Many states do have them, so now it’s a matter of “adapt to survive”. There’s no doubt, Kentucky is looked up on as the backbone of American racing.. for now.
Outside of a handful of big-time professional gamblers, the bulk of gamblers would be classified as low to middle income people. Please don’t insult us by suggesting we don’t have the will power to gamble like the rich folk. I don’t think those in favor are worried about my bank account.. that’s just a cop out.
June 21st, 2009 at 4:49 pm
That’s Irwin, not Abrahams. My apologies.
June 21st, 2009 at 6:04 pm
No, Senator Williams is not a hypocrite.
He knows that this bill is a wealthy track owner bailout bill disguised as a bill to help horse racing.
More than half of the money collected from this goes to already track owners. This is senseless and simply bad policy.
This would be like passing a lottery and giving 60 percent of the money to the convenience store owners.
The bill is a dishonest money grab by track owners and Senator Williams is completely justified in killing it on behalf of the honest, hard-working men and women of Kentucky.
June 21st, 2009 at 6:10 pm
As rr said: “Like many other things today, people like the easy way out.”
VLTs offer temporary support to a crumbling industry which refuses to change even though the Equine Welfare and Safety Summit I & II offered it an excellent road map on how to improve its racing.
Racino purses 3, 4 and 5 times higher than claiming prices are a waste of good money on bad racing.
A central authority is needed to save racing from itself, to avoid infighting, corruption and cannibalism, to cap purses between states with and without slots, to create and enforce uniform rules and embrace transparency, integrity, safety and quality.
June 21st, 2009 at 6:29 pm
So, Mr. Williams doesn’t mind making Indiana and Mississippi casino owners wealthier? He can’t have it both ways. That’s called hypocrisy and he fits the bill.
June 21st, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Billy Crockett…Arnold Pessin said there is no financial windfall for him if the VLT legislation passes and that there was no contingency price based on eventual slots at Kentucky Downs.
June 21st, 2009 at 7:19 pm
So if Dr. Pessin is ‘clean’, why doesn’t HE call-out Senator Williams? Whether or not he issues the challenge does not matter a hoot in the short or long run. Whatever the motives of many in this forum may be for opposing slots at tracks, surely none of the pro-slots can honestly believe slots will save the KY horse business.
The business needs Emergency Ward treatment. Slots could not be in place to serve as a temporary blood transfusion.
Why doesn’t our pro-slots Governor forget that belabored idea and order his appointed Kentucky Horse Racing Commission to fix the problem? It falls under the Public Safety Cabinet. If 100,000 jobs depend on the horse business, surely that is a public safety issue.
If the KHRC had some imaginative, courageous members it could get the job done pretty quickly.
June 21st, 2009 at 7:49 pm
An open letter to Senator Williams
Senator Williams
My name is John Greathouse, co-owner of Glencrest Farm, a family farm just outside of Midway, Kentucky. My brothers, David, Teddy, Allen and I own just over 800 acres where we raise cattle, tobacco, hay, corn and yes thoroughbred horses. To an outside developer this land may be worth many millions in terms of potential. To the people that work and live on the farm, it’s a way of life not commensurate with the development potential. We enjoy what we do and want to continue to do so. It’s a working farm that supported many in our family for over 50 years. We have several young Greathouse’s that are being trained to fill in our footsteps in the coming years. It’s also the livelihood of the thirty or so people that work there and need to keep their jobs also.
I have been a Republican all my life. I am fairly conservative and that’s the way I vote. Reagan, the Bush’s, Fletcher and you have all had a chance at one time or another to help this profession. All said NO! Now my Democratic friends shake their collective heads and ask why I vote the way I do. Vote for your pocket book John they say! To this point I have stayed the course.
Senator Williams, are you familiar with Pascal’s Wager? It’s a wager with unlimited upside but no downside. That’s what we have here with the expanded gaming bill. Unlimited upside and NO DOWNSIDE. The money is currently leaving the State, so please try not to tell us people can’t afford to gamble!
Senator William’s you should recuse yourself from these proceedings. You have been influenced by outside forces. This State stands to loose not only its flagship industry, but its international, worldwide identity.
Do the right thing please. Kentucky needs it, the thoroughbred industry needs it, my family and our workforce need it.
John Greathouse Jr
Glencrest Farm
P.O. Box 4468
Midway, Kentucky 40347
859-233-7032
June 21st, 2009 at 9:09 pm
I was the head of the VLT Coalition that was able to get the legislation passed in NY back in 2001. Don’t want to stick my head in the crossfire here but a few points might be helpful.
* As long as purses and breeders awards are healthy (I think for KY it will be around 15%) don’t worry what the track operator gets. In fact, once you get yours, you should want the track operator to get the highest percentage so that they have the resources to implement the slots in a way that generates the highest win per machine per day possible. Pennsylvania has a good formula and the tracks around their state have invested at least $300 million at each facility. In NY, the track operator barely makes a profit which has resulted in some spartan installations and little interest from major gaming companies to invest.
* I agree with Barry on the risk of winding up in a dependent relationship with someone that has different interests than the racing industry. However, the horsemen have to be active in the planning of the slot facility. Will slots bring new business to racing? Probably not but you don’t want a situation where racing needlessly suffers. Excelsior Racing, which I was a part of, was the only NYRA franchise bidder that integrated racing with gaming. We had a common food court area accessible to all (remember, most states have gaming laws that are age restrictive so if you put a buffet in the racino, will racing people with families be able to access it?) and a racebook/simulcast center in the Aqueduct and Belmont racinos. It can be done but the racing industry has to be involved at the start and not after it’s found that the slot operation is hurting racing.
June 21st, 2009 at 10:35 pm
First of all, racing is in deep doo-doo because of what it has not done for itself, which is give gamblers on racehorses what they want.
So now we are looking for another form of gambling to bail out our sorry asses.
And to what end? What, so we can continue to operate a failed business model?
We need to address what our audience wants and give it to them. Slots have nothing to do with equation.
I am a lifelong Democrat. As such, and in this current climate, I find it refreshing that John Greathouse publicly admits that he is a Republican. He deserves credit for his candor. But Kentucky is so insular and a world in and of itself, it is still considered normal to be a proud Republican. In Kentucky, horsemen think it is cool to knock Obama.
But, even as a left-wing Democrat, I must tell you that I find Senator Williams to be a politician that makes a lot of sense. I agree with every point he has made on the slots issue.
If those charged with putting on races cannot figure out how in the hell to make money without slots, perhaps they require a change of management.
Finally, what on earth do slots have to do with horse racing? I fail to see the connection.
June 22nd, 2009 at 8:57 am
Barry Irwin wrote:
First of all, racing is in deep doo-doo because of what it has not done for itself,
which is give gamblers on racehorses what they want.
So now we are looking for another form of gambling to bail out our sorry asses.
And to what end? What, so we can continue to operate a failed business model?
We need to address what our audience wants and give it to them.
Slots have nothing to do with equation.
_________________
Absolutely correct and on the mark.
How refreshing it is to see someone within the industry admit to the flaws in the business model.
For any forward progress to be made,
it must be done under a nationally empowered League Office.
Not by buying politicians at the state level.
June 22nd, 2009 at 9:44 am
Barry/ The argument for slots at racetracks has many angles. I do agree with your premise that a better business model along with creative wagering and improved fan enviornment are necessary to move us forward. Unfortunaley it takes money to do all of these things which is not available to tracks on the scale necessary to make such improvements. If this bill does move forward i would mandate these changes as a condition for host tracks.
The taxation of racing was and is still based upon a ‘monopoly of gaming’. This antiquated system ignores the fact that our state government ( lottery ) is now a competitor along with casino’s in surrounding states.
There are many precedents to government making the informed decision that a competitive business enviornment lures and enhances important industires. The federal government just buyoyed the banking industry amongst others to restore there industry in a time of dire need. On any economic level the equine industry is worth promoting and preserving in the state of Ky. Cold hard statistics tell that we live in a state with a very poor educational system with limited job opportunities if you were to graduate. The vlt bill as presented helps creat a public private partnership that funds both education and make our state equine industry competitive. Why all the morality when state government has spent tobacco taxes ( a proven killer and drain on health care ) to fund projects along with lottery tickets. Using your seperation of industy point of view why should lottery tickets fund education?. It is clear to me that every state creates a positive enviornment for their important industry. The wolf was erradicated at the request of the rancher, old growth timber stands cut for the logger but in Ky we are appalled that gambling is going on. Lets give Ky the highest purse structure in the nation. We have seen that like it or not a failure to react will cause great harm.The standardbred industry has been lost while be lured to states and provinces that rewarded this relocation. It is not inconceivale that we are next. Northern Dancer stood in Md., we have no permanent rights to this industry. There can be no doubt that erosion of the Ky. industry has begun. On a personal note i foaled 30 mares in Ontario this year. I will spend over $100.000.00 relocating these mares but it is well worth the expense. We all know that horses follow the money, thats why you run at Deleware and I run at Woodbine.Tourism, farm preservation and a world renowed reputation are worthy causes. I think the bill has more than enough merit to defend. John G. Sikura
June 22nd, 2009 at 10:47 am
John Sikura is exactly right when he says that the days of racing having a monopoly on gambling are long gone. Also, gone are the days when the New York trainers took their stables to Aiken and Camden in December and racing closed up in New York for the winter. Less racing made more of an event out of going to the races, as Keeneland demonstrates. I agree with Barry that racing needs to upgrade its model but I definitely disagree with his Blood-Horse editorial that implied that crooked horses( he specifically mentioned General Quarters) do nothing for racing. That horse’s story was one of the best stories of the 2009 Derby and we need them. It brought the sport down to a level that real people can relate to. When only kings can afford racehorses then racing’s “sport of kings†image will destroy the sport for the working horseman. I think that the grassroots effort behind VLTs is the very first time that the average Kentuckian has been shown that racing is not all private 747’s and multi million dollar sales horses at Keeneland. It must be quite a surprise to some of them after the same line the Herald Leader has been spouting for years.
June 22nd, 2009 at 11:46 pm
Hi,
Ugh, I liked! So clear and positively.
Thank you
Elcorin