“Legislature approves horse racing subsidy, Internet gambling bills” plus 2 more |
- Legislature approves horse racing subsidy, Internet gambling bills
- State could join national racing compact
- Horse racing-Trainer Johnson charged with welfare, drugs breach
| Legislature approves horse racing subsidy, Internet gambling bills Posted: 10 Jan 2011 06:45 PM PST The state's struggling horse racing industry took a big step Monday toward receiving up to $30 million to supplement racing purses over the next three years, after leading state Democrats amended a bill to address concerns raised by Governor Christie. Assemblyman John Burzichelli, D-Gloucester, said that, based on those negotiations, he was confident Christie would sign the bill, which the Assembly approved 71-5. A Christie spokesman was not immediately available to comment on the bill, which did not pass until after 8 p.m. because of delays in revising its language. The state Senate, also working late, passed the revised bill a half-hour later. The Assembly and Senate also approved an Internet gambling bill. With the Christie's signature, New Jersey would become the first state in the nation. to allow its residents to play poker and other wagering games on their computers. The horse racing subsidy was included in a bill that creates an Atlantic City Casino District with state oversight. Christie supports the creation of the casino district but has objected to the racing subsidy. The bill phases out the annual purse subsidy which was $30 million in 2010 — to $15 million in 2011, $10 million in 2012, and $5 million in 2013. After a series of negotiations with Christie, the Assembly's Democratic majority reconvened with a revised bill that puts the state Racing Commission in charge of overseeing the dispersal of the $30 million. "The changes make sense — you have the people that know the industry distributing the purse money," said bill sponsor John Burzichelli, D-Gloucester. The Meadowlands Racetrack and Monmouth Park had been receiving a $30 million annual purse subsidy from the Atlantic City casino industry, which in return was guaranteed to face no competition from slot machines coming to either site. Those purse supplements expired in 2010, and Christie cut a preliminary deal last month to have Manhattan real estate mogul Jeff Gural take over operation of the Meadowlands track as of April 1 – or else the track would be closed, Christie said. Gural has said he intends to greatly reduce expenses while also increasing attendance by marketing to families. Assemblywoman Connie Wagner, D-Paramus, said she was pleased that a compromise was reached, but she also said she still is worried about whether the Gural deal can be completed. "If it isn't, then what happens to the track on April 1?" Wagner said. It's not clear if Christie will move to block the online gambling bill, but he has expressed reservations previously. Three related bills also passed the Assembly overwhelmingly Monday:
The legislature has worked extensively on horse racing and casino issues since July, when Jon F. Hanson – Christie's adviser on the state's sports and entertainment interests – issued a report that recommended creation of the Atlantic City Tourism District as well as having the state get out of the horse racing. E-mail: brennan@northjersey.com Blog: northjersey.com/brennan
The state's struggling horse racing industry took a big step Monday toward receiving up to $30 million to supplement racing purses over the next three years, after leading state Democrats amended a bill to address concerns raised by Governor Christie. Assemblyman John Burzichelli, D-Gloucester, said that, based on those negotiations, he was confident Christie would sign the bill, which the Assembly approved 71-5. A Christie spokesman was not immediately available to comment on the bill, which did not pass until after 8 p.m. because of delays in revising its language. The state Senate, also working late, passed the revised bill a half-hour later. The Assembly and Senate also approved an Internet gambling bill. With the Christie's signature, New Jersey would become the first state in the nation. to allow its residents to play poker and other wagering games on their computers. The horse racing subsidy was included in a bill that creates an Atlantic City Casino District with state oversight. Christie supports the creation of the casino district but has objected to the racing subsidy. The bill phases out the annual purse subsidy which was $30 million in 2010 — to $15 million in 2011, $10 million in 2012, and $5 million in 2013. After a series of negotiations with Christie, the Assembly's Democratic majority reconvened with a revised bill that puts the state Racing Commission in charge of overseeing the dispersal of the $30 million. "The changes make sense — you have the people that know the industry distributing the purse money," said bill sponsor John Burzichelli, D-Gloucester. The Meadowlands Racetrack and Monmouth Park had been receiving a $30 million annual purse subsidy from the Atlantic City casino industry, which in return was guaranteed to face no competition from slot machines coming to either site. Those purse supplements expired in 2010, and Christie cut a preliminary deal last month to have Manhattan real estate mogul Jeff Gural take over operation of the Meadowlands track as of April 1 – or else the track would be closed, Christie said. Gural has said he intends to greatly reduce expenses while also increasing attendance by marketing to families. Assemblywoman Connie Wagner, D-Paramus, said she was pleased that a compromise was reached, but she also said she still is worried about whether the Gural deal can be completed. "If it isn't, then what happens to the track on April 1?" Wagner said. It's not clear if Christie will move to block the online gambling bill, but he has expressed reservations previously. Three related bills also passed the Assembly overwhelmingly Monday:
The legislature has worked extensively on horse racing and casino issues since July, when Jon F. Hanson – Christie's adviser on the state's sports and entertainment interests – issued a report that recommended creation of the Atlantic City Tourism District as well as having the state get out of the horse racing. E-mail: brennan@northjersey.com Blog: northjersey.com/brennan
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| State could join national racing compact Posted: 10 Jan 2011 12:48 AM PST at 12:00am on Jan 10, 2011 — jpatton1@herald-leader.com Modified at 10:24am on Jan 10, 2011 What does horse racing fear almost as much as fatal breakdowns and crooked betting? Federal regulation. The industry has been working for more than a year on a plan to permanently stave off that threat with an interstate compact. Now, Kentucky has a chance to become one of the first states to join. So far, only Colorado has signed up, but the landmark legislation is expected to be introduced in Delaware, Indiana, New Jersey, New York and Virginia this year. Six states must sign on for the compact to take effect. State Sen. Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, pre-filed a bill in December that would let Kentucky regulators join. Thayer said he hopes to bring the bill before the Kentucky General Assembly in February. "The thought of the federal government and federal bureaucrats running horse racing is not an approach that I support," Thayer said in announcing his bill last month. He said signing onto the compact, similar to the existing national racing license compact, will let Kentucky continue to take the lead on major reforms. "I think it's very much needed," Thayer said. "Owners who race in multiple states have been clamoring for more uniform standards for years. It would send a strong signal if Kentucky's the first major racing state to pass it." The bill has the support of Lisa Underwood, executive director of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. Underwood is on a steering committee, along with representatives of Keeneland, the New York Racing and Wagering Board, the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, The Jockey Club, Racing Commissioners International, the U.S. Trotting Association and the Council of State Governments, that has been developing the compact idea since September 2009. "(The compact) is a good opportunity to build broad-based consensus," Underwood said. States still will approve each rule and can opt out of a rule they don't agree with. But, overall, a compact should result in a smoother regulatory landscape. "It has been difficult for the horsemen to go state to state and have different rules," she said. "I would hope at some point to have a national rule book." The movement has drawn widespread support from across the Thoroughbred racing industry as a way to finally bring a measure of uniformity to the sport. Ed Martin, executive director of the Association of Racing Commissioners International, said the idea is that states will retain ultimate authority over the sport but will function collectively and rule changes can be implemented at the same time, rather than piecemeal. Martin pointed to the move to ban anabolic steroids after it came to light that 2008 Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown ran legally on steroids. That, as well as the on-track death of runner-up Eight Belles, prompted calls for reform. Kentucky U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Hopkinsville, pondered federal intervention; industry leaders were called before Congress to answer questions about the state of the sport. In response, many states (including Kentucky), racetracks and organizations such as the Breeders' Cup moved to ban steroids. But because each state, track and group had to act independently, the regulations took effect at different times, Martin said. With a compact, states could all adopt the same change at the same time, he said. "The concept of uniform implementation is very attractive," Martin said. "We feel it is a vast improvement over the status quo." And a compact has some advantages over federal control, he said. "Those who call for federal regulation miss the point that it would be an additional layer of regulation on top of existing regulation, which would have to be paid for," Martin said. "The industry would end up paying for it at the state level and at the federal level. That would be an enormous tax on the industry." Churchill Downs, which owns racetracks in Kentucky, Louisiana, Illinois and Florida, also will be watching the progress of the compact bill. "Churchill Downs believes uniform national rules on medication and licensing would benefit all participants in America's horse industry, so we support the concept," said John Asher, Churchill Downs spokesman. "We'll be following the development of specifics in this measure as it evolves during the ongoing short session of the Kentucky General Assembly." Even a compact has to be paid for somehow, and a variety of funding mechanisms have been proposed, including fees on stakeholders. Eventually, supporters say, the compact will save states money because it will be more efficient. But not everyone is sure about the idea. Some horsemen have expressed concern that the compact could usurp individual input into new rules. The National Horsemen's Benevolence & Protective Association, which represents horsemen, in July gave conditional support to the compact. HBPA Joe Santanna said at the time that such a compact could benefit the industry as it seeks to standardize rules across jurisdictions: "The National HBPA will support and participate in the development of such an interstate compact as long as we have a comfort level that all participants in our industry — including horsemen — will be allowed fair and reasonable input into all decisions.". Underwood has met with Kentucky HBPA officials to discuss their concerns and solicit support for the bill. Marty Maline, Kentucky HBPA executive director, said he's studying the measure. "At first blush, it kind of sounds like just another level of bureaucracy," Maline said. "I'm just not sure that everybody's on board with this." Reach Janet Patton at (859) 231-3264 or 1-800-950-6397, Ext. 3264. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Horse racing-Trainer Johnson charged with welfare, drugs breach Posted: 10 Jan 2011 05:38 AM PST Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer Howard Johnson has been charged with running a horse after prohibited surgery and administering banned steroids to three horses, racing's governing body said on Monday. The British Horse Racing Association (BHA) said Johnson, who won three World Hurdles with Inglis Drever, had admitted to running a horse that had undergone a neurectomy, a procedure known as "de-nerving" which causes a horse to lose sensation in the back of the foot. "The neurectomy came to light following a post-mortem, after the horse (Striking Article) had been injured in a race and subsequently euthanized," the BHA said in a statement. In a separate investigation, Johnson has also been charged with breaches of the Rules of Racing in relation to the administration of laurabolin, an anabolic steroid containing nandrolone, to three other horses under his care. A disciplinary panel has been scheduled for Feb 10.
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