Hell no.
And the takeout is too high and the skim at the top is too great
Fan Group Critical of Belmont Day Experience
A state-created fan advisory group has blasted the New York Racing
Association for operations June 7 for Belmont Stakes (gr. I) day, saying
problems that hit everything from parking lots to betting lines to lack
of security hurt the industry's stated goal of trying to reach new
fans.
"What was a rare opportunity to bring new fans to the sport was instead marred by embarrassing missteps that all but ensured those potential fans would not become a part of New York's storied horse racing legacy,'' wrote the New York State Racing Fan Advisory Council in a letter dated July 2 and sent to the head of NYRA.
The letter was released by the New York State Gaming Commission, which regulates NYRA. The association is now run by a state-dominated board of directors as part of a temporary reorganization.
A NYRA spokesman did not return an email seeking comment.
The advisory council said it appreciated NYRA's effort to expand the day's race card and full fields, as well as additional entertainment meant to attract new fans to Belmont Park. But it said NYRA botched the handling of the day in a series of ways the council has been warning about since 2012. The group said its recommendations have either been "discounted or ignored" by NYRA.
The problems witnessed by members of the council either first-hand or through accounts of patrons "raise serious questions regarding NYRA's pre-event planning and overall strategy for conducting the event," the council's letter states. The five-member advisory group said the many troubles occurred on a day when NYRA already raised the grandstand admission price by 500% and a cup of beer cost $10.
It said the bad experiences began in the parking lots, where patrons who in some cases paid as much as $100 in advance to reserve a space were turned away when the lots filled early on a day that attracted more than 100,000 people. Buses packed with patrons were also turned away and had to park far from the track; a bus driver of a charter from the Racing Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., reported having to pay a first-ever fee of $150 for parking.
The council said security was often "absent'' during the day, leading to problems of patrons holding seat tickets having to "fend for themselves'' with "squatters'' who were often "intoxicated or uncooperative.'' The advisory group blasted NYRA for not having enough restrooms and inadequate food and drink supplies, forcing long lines of people with no recourse if they wanted to stay hydrated and fed on a day when coolers were banned by NYRA. It said the track's public address system also malfunctioned during the day.
The council said NYRA also likely lost "significant revenue'' because of "virtually non-existent" WiFi and cellular service that kept many from accessing NYRA's telephone or online wagering platforms.
After attendees encountered all those issues, the council said it didn't get any better for patrons leaving the track after the final race. It said delays can be expected with such large crowds, but that problems were made worse by what the group called "poor crowd and traffic control, uninformed staff, and misinformation.''
"The council has repeatedly stressed the importance of Belmont Stakes day to New York racing,'' the group wrote to Christopher Kay, president of NYRA. It called on NYRA to take "significant steps to ensure that fans attending its future marquee race days enjoy their experience.''
The council asked the state's Franchise Oversight Board, which monitors NYRA's finances, to look into the matter. It also asked NYRA leaders to address a public fan forum in Saratoga Springs in August about the day's problems and to "commit that great attention will be given to customer service for racing fans."
NYRA thus far hasn't publicly addressed all the issues brought up by the fan advisory council and individual attendees.
Stop scratching on holidays
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.
"What was a rare opportunity to bring new fans to the sport was instead marred by embarrassing missteps that all but ensured those potential fans would not become a part of New York's storied horse racing legacy,'' wrote the New York State Racing Fan Advisory Council in a letter dated July 2 and sent to the head of NYRA.
The letter was released by the New York State Gaming Commission, which regulates NYRA. The association is now run by a state-dominated board of directors as part of a temporary reorganization.
A NYRA spokesman did not return an email seeking comment.
The advisory council said it appreciated NYRA's effort to expand the day's race card and full fields, as well as additional entertainment meant to attract new fans to Belmont Park. But it said NYRA botched the handling of the day in a series of ways the council has been warning about since 2012. The group said its recommendations have either been "discounted or ignored" by NYRA.
The problems witnessed by members of the council either first-hand or through accounts of patrons "raise serious questions regarding NYRA's pre-event planning and overall strategy for conducting the event," the council's letter states. The five-member advisory group said the many troubles occurred on a day when NYRA already raised the grandstand admission price by 500% and a cup of beer cost $10.
It said the bad experiences began in the parking lots, where patrons who in some cases paid as much as $100 in advance to reserve a space were turned away when the lots filled early on a day that attracted more than 100,000 people. Buses packed with patrons were also turned away and had to park far from the track; a bus driver of a charter from the Racing Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., reported having to pay a first-ever fee of $150 for parking.
The council said security was often "absent'' during the day, leading to problems of patrons holding seat tickets having to "fend for themselves'' with "squatters'' who were often "intoxicated or uncooperative.'' The advisory group blasted NYRA for not having enough restrooms and inadequate food and drink supplies, forcing long lines of people with no recourse if they wanted to stay hydrated and fed on a day when coolers were banned by NYRA. It said the track's public address system also malfunctioned during the day.
The council said NYRA also likely lost "significant revenue'' because of "virtually non-existent" WiFi and cellular service that kept many from accessing NYRA's telephone or online wagering platforms.
After attendees encountered all those issues, the council said it didn't get any better for patrons leaving the track after the final race. It said delays can be expected with such large crowds, but that problems were made worse by what the group called "poor crowd and traffic control, uninformed staff, and misinformation.''
"The council has repeatedly stressed the importance of Belmont Stakes day to New York racing,'' the group wrote to Christopher Kay, president of NYRA. It called on NYRA to take "significant steps to ensure that fans attending its future marquee race days enjoy their experience.''
The council asked the state's Franchise Oversight Board, which monitors NYRA's finances, to look into the matter. It also asked NYRA leaders to address a public fan forum in Saratoga Springs in August about the day's problems and to "commit that great attention will be given to customer service for racing fans."
NYRA thus far hasn't publicly addressed all the issues brought up by the fan advisory council and individual attendees.
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the help. The item’s below. I’d be happy to mail you a copy,
if you give me a mailing address.
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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.
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