Open up to take bets 365 days of the year or

http://www.nypost.com/f/print/sports/horse_racing/nyra_opening_up_OvLsVvn1PUQeF49do0zexI#axzz2F3gs4Awx

NYRA opening up

By ED FOUNTAINE

Last Updated: 2:10 AM, December 13, 2012

Posted: 12:38 AM, December 13, 2012

Yesterday’s webcast of the first meeting of the NYRA Reorganization Board of Directors from an office in NYC was hard to follow, with the video stream and sound often freezing or buffering to distraction. But the very fact that the new board will now comply with the NYS Open Meetings Law and Freedom of Information Law is a huge step in breaking free from the old NYRA’s culture of arrogance.
Other developments worth noting:
* NYRA has adopted a new mission statement: “Meeting the highest standards in thoroughbred racing and equine safety.”
* NYRA corporate officers are no longer allowed to make campaign contributions in statewide and legislative elections, nor will they be allowed to bet.
* Veterinarian Dr. Michael Kotlikoff, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University, has been named Special Advisor to the board for equine health and safety, as recommended by new board chairman David Skorton, president of Cornell.
* New board member Bobby Flay served notice he is going to be a forceful spokesman for NYRA’s customers, saying, “NYRA used to be the leader of the industry. That’s not true anymore. We have a product the public doesn’t want. We need to build a great racing product.” — Ed Fountaine

Read more: NYRA opening up - NYPOST.com http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/horse_racing/nyra_opening_up_OvLsVvn1PUQeF49do0zexI#ixzz2F3gvWbHI

 

 

 

 

HI-

Thanks for the help. The item’s below. I’d be happy to mail you a copy, if you give me a mailing address.

Claude Solnik

(631) 913-4244

Long Island Business News

2150 Smithtown Ave.

Ronkonkoma, NY 11779-7348 

Home > LI Confidential > Stop scratching on holidays

Stop scratching on holidays
Published: June 1, 2012

Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays.
New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state.
“You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?”
Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday.
“I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.”
OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running.
One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000.
Easy money.