NY Const. Art. 1, Sec. 3.
NY PML Sec 109 does not pass the laugh test.
Kick it in the head or throat.
Perhaps there are horse players at Irish Bars who don't always go to church in preference to Nassau OTB?
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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.
Peter King boxing match questioned by ethics watchdog group
Photo credit: Chris Cardona | Rep. Peter King squares off with NY State champion Josh Foley.
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Rep. Peter King
King (R-Seaford) has drawn wide attention for being willing to get into the ring with a fighter less than half his age, New York kickboxing champion Josh Foley. King said he's doing it to promote his friend and trainer Chris Cardona's for-profit kickboxing event at Mulcahy's Pub in Wantagh on Saturday.
But Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said King might have overlooked the House Code of Ethics requirement to avoid appearing to favor one business.
"It is an ethics violation. Is it the most serious violation in the world? No," she said. "But you're not allowed to do that. It's clear. It's not a gray area."
King, who sent out an email to his campaign list to advertise the event Wednesday, disagreed.
"Lending my time to a local gym and pub in the community in which I have absolutely no financial interest is part of my job as a congressman," he said.
King said he has high regard for Mulcahy's Pub, which has held fundraisers for families of police and firefighters killed or wounded in the line of duty.
"I believe it is entirely appropriate to assist businesses in my community, such as appearing at grand openings of new businesses or celebrating the expansion of current businesses," he said.
But Sloan said the House Code of Ethics says lawmakers should never "discriminate unfairly by the dispensing of special favors" to one individual or to one commercial business.
Sloan said her group criticized Rep. Michael Grimm (R-Staten Island) in 2011 when he appeared in a promotional video for a friend's business. The video was taken down.
Washington ethics attorney Stanley Brand called the violation "trivial at best." Sloan said she won't file a complaint since the Ethics Committee would just tell King not to do it again.
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