OPEN ON 1ST PALM SUNDAY, OTB RAKES IN $2M
New York City Off-Track Betting made history yesterday, taking bets on Palm Sunday. Since 1973, when Sunday racing was made legal in New York State, race tracks have been allowed to operate every Sunday except for Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. While Aqueduct kept its doors shut, NYCOTB had its betting parlors open despite a letter from the New York State Racing and Wagering Board stating that it couldn't do so. "We're not a race track," NYCOTB president Ray Casey said. "OTB's business is a simulcasting business.
" Bettors responded by wagering an estimated $2 million yesterday on tracks from around the country, including Keeneland in Kentucky and Gulfstream Park in Florida. While in the past NYCOTB has respected the law and shut down on Palm Sunday, it took a chance this time because its business is down. "With the weather being the way it's been our handle has been off significantly," Casey said. "Our lawyers felt from their point of view that we could open (yesterday).
" The law says race tracks can't open. It doesn't mention OTBs. "I respect the Racing and Wagering Board and I have the utmost respect for chairman Michael Hoblock but I felt we're right on this one," Casey said. The NYSRWB didn't return phone calls yesterday but said on Saturday it would meet this week to discuss fines and penalties it can impose on NYCOTB. "This isn't personal," Casey said. "I just didn't agree with the board's interpretation.
" Casey also said NYCOTB may open on Easter Sunday.
hit 'em in the head wuth the stick while seeing if you read the daily news or and ny const art 1 sec 3
let the wandeting dago food truck be the official food truck of the islanders
Justia Opinion Summary
WD filed suit against OGS, alleging that defendants violated its rights under the First Amendment, the Equal Protection Clause, and the New York State Constitution by denying WD's applications to participate as a food truck vendor in the Lunch Program based on its ethnic-slur branding. The Second Circuit reversed the district court's grant of summary judgment for defendant, holding that defendants' action violated WD's equal protection rights and its rights under the New York State Constitution. In this case, it was undisputed that defendants denied WD's applications solely because of its ethnic-slur branding. In Matal v. Tam, 137 S. Ct. 1744 (2017), the Supreme Court clarified that this action amounted to viewpoint discrimination and, if not government speech or otherwise protected, was prohibited by the First Amendment. The court rejected defendants' argument that their actions were unobjectionable because they were either part of OGS's government speech or permissible regulation of a government contractor's speech.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo: Lawsuits against Belmont Park plan lack 'credibility' as does andrew coumo
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
Long Island Business News
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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.
Aerial view of Belmont Park on July 1. A new arena for the New York Islanders will be built in the parking lot behind the racetrack grandstand. Photo Credit: Newsday/John Keating
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Tuesday he did not believe lawsuits against the $1.3 billion Belmont Park project have "any credibility" as he defended New York's approval process for a new arena and entertainment complex for the New York Islanders.
In a radio interview on Tuesday, Cuomo said there's always "negativity" associated with large-scale projects. But he dismissed two lawsuits against the Belmont development as NIMBYism similar to opposition to the Long Island Rail Road's Third Track project.
"We went through a whole environmental process. We consulted with everyone. We had hearings. We talked to everyone. Everyone's concerns were considered. If there is any issue that needs to be fixed as we go along, we'll fix it," Cuomo told Jay Oliver of Long Island News Radio.
Cuomo's remarks followed a ceremonial groundbreaking Monday attended by hundreds of project supporters, including state and local lawmakers and Islanders owners, players and fans.
Cuomo, a Democrat, joined Islanders' co-owner Jon Ledecky in putting golden shovels into the ground on the 43-acre state-owned site where construction began last month after a 22-month state approval process.
However, lawsuits filed in state Supreme Court in Mineola over the last two weeks seek to stop constructionof the project.
The Village of Floral Park on Sept. 9 challenged the state's environmental review process.
Court documents say the public bidding process for the development rights at Belmont Park was flawed and tipped in favor of the developers due to a "secret plan" conceived before the state issued a request for proposals.
Civic leaders in Elmont also filed suit Saturday challenging the legitimacy of the state’s approval process.
They contend the state does not have the authority to designate its own land at Belmont for private development. The suit claims the property is parkland that had served as a disaster evacuation site for nearby residents.
Floral Park Mayor Dominick Longobardi said NIMBYISM played no role in the village's lawsuit.
"Our Village residents have worked tirelessly to provide feedback and ideas on how to create a project at Belmont Park that would not cause harm or detrimental effects to our friends and neighbors in Floral Park and surrounding communities," Longobardi said.
"You can have all the meetings and hearings you want but when nothing to help negative issues and situations comes from those meetings then they mean just that — nothing," Longobardi said.
New York Arena Partners, a partnership among the owners of the Islanders, Mets and arena development company Oak View Group, have begun construction work on the project, which includes a 19,000-seat arena, 250-room hotel and 350,000 square feet of retail. A new full-time LIRR stop will be built as part of the project.
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, a Democrat and supporter of the Belmont project, said she believed it was "very important to work with the surrounding communities" where there is opposition.
"I believe the new Elmont train station will alleviate a lot of the traffic concerns that have been expressed by the residents," Curran said at Monday's groundbreaking.
But "for a project to succeed we absolutely need to engage with the surrounding communities," Curran said.
Residents who live closest to Belmont Park have expressed concerns about vehicular traffic, noise and light pollution and water quality and usage.
By Candice Ferrette and Jim Baumbachcandice.ferrette@newsday.com, jim.baumbach@newsday.com @candiceferrette
Candice Ferrette covers Nassau County government and politics on Long Island. She has been a reporter at Newsday since 2011.
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