Can't understand Comptroller's report? This should help..
 

Alan Mann ("Left at the Gate") is pretty much the best of the long-running racing-related blogs out there. He has extensive understanding of New York politics, especially Albany's special brand... His take on DiNapoli's embarrassing work is definitive.

Be sure to go to Alan's site to read the complete commentary and get ready access to the links he offers within it... That is if you really care to understand the ridiculous farce the state continues to play.


Comptroller's Report Not Worth the Paper It's Written On

http://leftatthegate.blogspot.com/20...paper-its.html

Charlie Hayward had reminded the Times Union's Jim Odato that it's "political season" when asked about the impending release of Comptroller Tom DiNapoli's audit of NYRA's finances (pdf file). And sure enough, there was DiNapoli, up for re-election this fall, in full campaign mode on Monday as he announced his shocking findings that NYRA Faces Insolvency Without VLT Revenues!

Oh boy...really?

Of course, since many media outlets reflexively portray NYRA as a hopeless and incompetent money sucking void, most omitted the "without VLT Revenues" part from their headlines... like this, or this, or this, or even in the three major racing dailies: the Thoroughbred Times, the Daily Racing Form, and Bloodhorse; all of whom should know better and should be ashamed of themselves. That's like ESPN.com running a headline which reads Yankees Pennant Hopes Tenuous if CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, and Mariano Rivera suffer season-ending injuries. Indeed, it's common knowledge that VLT's are essential to the industry's survival in the state; we didn't need a third-rate politician to tell us that. DiNapoli was going to extract his pound of political flesh no matter what; and this farce of a report shows to what lengths he would go.

You say that like it's a good thing.

Because it is..

(Meanwhile, shallow and/or gullible mainstream NY media and certain oblivious elements of the racing media continually fail to make any real attempt to explore the issues or motivations of what has gone for nearly a decade.)

One point on which I actually agree with DiNapoli is his observation on the latest round of the Aqueduct racino selection process.

“It looks like the selection of a VLT operator for Aqueduct is still an open question....When you start with six potential bidders and end up with only one, it begs the question of how the process was handled and whether the state can actually close the dea

For the record ....

Whatever Freddy says in these threads ... my position is to claim that the opposite is true.

You know what? I'm sick of this bullshit. What else does NYRA have to do? They put out a decent product which is good for racing and all they do is catch ****. This loser ass state is sticking it right in NYRA,s ass. This blind ass douche bag governor can kiss my balls. These crooked politicians who want their pictures taken with winning trainers should be ashamed to be alive. Let's RALLY for NYRA at the upcoming meet. I have some very good media connections to help make a stand.....Let's Stop the Bullshit!!!!!

i'm with ya......they've been asking for the vlt's for years....saying they need the revenue. somehow the media sees this douche bags statement as some revelation. like its NEWS. i like living up here but this state is a complete joke!

the newest bloodhorse has an article on the back page about otb's and adw's. i didn't realize until reading it that the handle from those sources is treated differently. seems they need to remedy that, and put all the handle toward the tracks!