MA casino lean likely dooms Suffolk (Update: Deal set for 2015-16)

[Alan07]

Suffolk also has moved closing day from Mon., Sept. 29 to Sat., Oct. 4.

[ScottJ]

Published Thursday, September 25th, 4:00pm

Massachusetts Gaming Commission explores ways to save racing

By Lynne Snierson

BOSTON - With the tight deadline for racing dates applications fast approaching, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission is looking for ways to help live Thoroughbred racing continue in the state.

“We’re trying to keep the door open, ” said commissioner James McHugh during an open hearing Thursday.

It is somewhat amazing that a state with one operating thoroughbred track did not have a gaming commission in place that could have anticipated this outcome.

[Suffolk Shippers]

Originally Posted by ScottJ

Published Thursday, September 25th, 4:00pm



It is somewhat amazing that a state with one operating thoroughbred track did not have a gaming commission in place that could have anticipated this outcome.

Well said. It was simply stunning that one day they make a decision to give the casino to Wynn and then the next day are like, well we need to find a way to make thoroughbred racing continue. Say what?!

They relied heavily on the "jobs creation" aspect of the Wynn proposal, which was mandated because the casino legislation is a job creation bill. However, the bill also created the thoroughbred industry fund, which they seemed to ignore to an extent. Just makes no sense. They're pretty delusional if they think someone is going to come in and run Suffolk next season while it being economically palatable to the current owners.

[Suffolk Shippers]

So, a subset of the land owners where the proposed Wynn casino will go in Everett were indicated by both the state and federal government yesterday. The MA gaming commission knew about them going back a year or so, which helped lead to the indictments.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/201...JZK/story.html

Chip Tuttle, COO of Suffolk, went on Twitter and (paraphrasing) lamented that he had to explain why crooks were getting money in the name of job creation while the people at SD were working their last days. He sent a second tweet blasting the MA gaming commission, which he later deleted (I think).

Doesn't change anything for Suffolk, per se, it would seem. But, it will give fodder to those supporting the repeal of the casino law. The repeal of the casino law would wipe out the horsemen's fund, which those guys are counting on to maybe resurrect racing in Massachusetts one day.

[Alabama Stakes]

It brought joy yesterday when after work I went to say farewell to my home track . As I pulled in, the place was jammed , just like the old days. Everyone came to say goodbye. Inside was packed. Lotta old hossplayers everywhere . It was really cool that so many came. I hope they will run a boutique meet where they go for a month before Saratoga. . Then race Tuesdays till it's over. Then another month. Maybe they'll hire mr Byk to save racing. If he can't do it , no one can

[Kasept]

http://www.boston.com/sports/horse-r...8eP/story.html

Excellent piece by former Herald sportswriter Michael Gee. Germane fact in losing a regional facility like SUF is absence of an outlet to introduce potential sport participants to live racing. This reality is seemingly lost on the myopic 'good riddance' crowd.

[Alabama Stakes]

Barbara Livingston was there taking pics for posterity. Even one for you boss!

[casp0555]

Originally Posted by Kasept

http://www.boston.com/sports/horse-r...8eP/story.html

Excellent piece by former Herald sportswriter Michael Gee. Germane fact in losing a regional facility like SUF is absence of an outlet to introduce potential sport participants to live racing. This reality is seemingly lost on the myopic 'good riddance' crowd.

You are right......an excellant column Steve, thanks for posting.

[joeydb]

Originally Posted by Kasept

http://www.boston.com/sports/horse-r...8eP/story.html

Excellent piece by former Herald sportswriter Michael Gee. Germane fact in losing a regional facility like SUF is absence of an outlet to introduce potential sport participants to live racing. This reality is seemingly lost on the myopic 'good riddance' crowd.

Loved this part:

The most popular form of sports gambling today is fantasy football. Were I in charge of marketing horse racing, I’d run ads on cable sports networks throughout the NFL season with a message along the lines of “when you get bored with that kids game, try a REAL mental challenge. Plus, we offer nine or ten games a day instead of one a week.

[Calzone Lord]

Originally Posted by joeydb

Loved this part:

The most popular form of sports gambling today is fantasy football. Were I in charge of marketing horse racing, I’d run ads on cable sports networks throughout the NFL season with a message along the lines of “when you get bored with that kids game, try a REAL mental challenge. Plus, we offer nine or ten games a day instead of one a week.

I did a Fantasy Football draft a few years ago.

The people who do them are tailor-made for horse racing. They virtually all carry laptops around with them. They're all opinionated and obsessed with stats. They're all sports news junkies who stay up to date on injuries and are aware of coaching changes, coordinator changes, new schemes, etc.

Most of these guys also like to gamble.

The leadership in horse racing is too dumb to see the crossover potential.

Talk about 'Fantasy' anything and it gets laughed at. They think those people are all a joke...playing a "kids game" as you called it.

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by Calzone Lord

I did a Fantasy Football draft a few years ago. The people who do them are tailor-made for horse racing. They virtually all carry laptops around with them. They're all opinionated and obsessed with stats. They're all sports news junkies who stay up to date on injuries and are aware of coaching changes, coordinator changes, new schemes, etc.

Most of these guys also like to gamble.

The leadership in horse racing is too dumb to see the crossover potential.

Talk about 'Fantasy' anything and it gets laughed at. They think those people are all a joke...playing a "kids game" as you called it.

Not totally Doug.. This announcement was a significant development in just that arena..

DraftKings Partners with Breeders' Cup World Championships
Monday, September 8, 2014

http://www.breederscup.com/article/d...-championships

NEW YORK (September 8, 2014) - The Breeders’ Cup and DraftKings, Inc., one of America’s leading Daily Fantasy Sports websites, today announced an agreement making DraftKings the exclusive Daily Fantasy Sports site of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships and the name-in-title sponsor of the $1 million DraftKings Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.

The Breeders’ Cup World Championships is Thoroughbred racing’s most prestigious international event, consisting of 13 grade I races with purses and awards totaling $26 million. The event takes place October 31- November 1 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., and will be televised live on NBC and NBCSN.

The DraftKings Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, a grade I race for fillies and mares 3-years-old and older, contested at 7/8th of a mile on the main track, will be run on Saturday, November 1. Since its inception in 2007, 6 of the 7 Filly & Mare Sprint winners have been voted Thoroughbred racing’s Eclipse Award Champion Female Sprinter.

As part of the agreement, DraftKings and Breeders’ Cup will develop media and entertainment programs designed to support this historic horse racing event at Santa Anita Park and on a national level. Additionally, DraftKings will offer 12 special contests awarding vacation packages and exclusive VIP access to the Breeders' Cup racing weekend, providing experiences that cannot be purchased. Contestants can enter here: https://www.draftkings.com/BreedersCup.

“The wide ranging popularity that DraftKings has established in daily fantasy sports is an excellent fit for the challenge and excitement of Thoroughbred racing and the Breeders’ Cup,” said Craig Fravel, Breeders’ Cup President and CEO. “We welcome DraftKings to this year’s event as an exclusive partner and title sponsor of the Filly & Mare Sprint.”

[Kasept]

DRAFT KINGS WEBSITE WITH CUP CONTEST: https://www.draftkings.com/lp/breederscup

[Calzone Lord]

Originally Posted by Kasept

Germane fact in losing a regional facility like SUF is absence of an outlet to introduce potential sport participants to live racing. This reality is seemingly lost on the myopic 'good riddance' crowd.

A good, well run, off-track betting parlor is a much better outlet for developing a horse racing fan ...than a live-racing scene that showcases a terrible product. What's more, give that live-racing scene slots...and they'll showcase slots, instead of their bad racing product.

But hey, when people think of Off-Track horse betting...they generally think of New York State.

The off-track wagering parlors in New York State (or OTB's) are absolute sh!t-holes. I've never been in a New York State OTB that wasn't a complete disaster. What's more...they would rip you off on payouts.

The mentality of New Yorkers "the smart people and good handicappers go to the track" seems silly...but if you've ever been inside a New York State OTB, you'd understand that train of thought.

The old OTB in Erie looked like a University campus, compared to the OTB's in New York. They had 5 large comfortable rooms. Hundreds and hundreds of TV's. Two restaurants, a bar, and a concession stand. Hand the people in the back a VCR tape, and they'd tape a track feed for you, to anyone of about 30 different tracks throughout the country.

Even in the Mid 90's, you could bet on about 30 different tracks a day. Go to garbage pits in New York, and you'd have NYRA, but only get bits and pieces beyond that.

When I'd walk into our old OTB parlor, I'd walk into an environment where people cared about betting on horse racing. It was the only reason they showed up. I miss that.

I walk into PID and I'm immediately harassed by a security guard. Forced to identify myself. Once I do, a band is placed on my wrist. Occasionally, you'll get a security guard who is going for "Employee of the Month" who insists on searching my laptop bag, looking for a bomb. If you take off your bracelet, you get harassed. And when you take off your bracelet, it pulls off the hair on your wrist.

It's an impossible place to like if you're a simulcast horse player.

[ateamstupid]

Originally Posted by Calzone Lord

A good, well run, off-track betting parlor is a much better outlet for developing a horse racing fan ...than a live-racing scene that showcases a terrible product. What's more, give that live-racing scene slots...and they'll showcase slots, instead of their bad racing product.

But hey, when people think of Off-Track horse betting...they generally think of New York State.

The off-track wagering parlors in New York State (or OTB's) are absolute sh!t-holes. I've never been in a New York State OTB that wasn't a complete disaster. What's more...they would rip you off on payouts.

The mentality of New Yorkers "the smart people and good handicappers go to the track" seems silly...but if you've ever been inside a New York State OTB, you'd understand that train of thought.

The old OTB in Erie looked like a University campus, compared to the OTB's in New York. They had 5 large comfortable rooms. Hundreds and hundreds of TV's. Two restaurants, a bar, and a concession stand. Hand the people in the back a VCR tape, and they'd tape a track feed for you, to anyone of about 30 different tracks throughout the country.

Even in the Mid 90's, you could bet on about 30 different tracks a day. Go to garbage pits in New York, and you'd have NYRA, but only get bits and pieces beyond that.

When I'd walk into our old OTB parlor, I'd walk into an environment where people cared about betting on horse racing. It was the only reason they showed up. I miss that.

I walk into PID and I'm immediately harassed by a security guard. Forced to identify myself. Once I do, a band is placed on my wrist. Occasionally, you'll get a security guard who is going for "Employee of the Month" who insists on searching my laptop bag, looking for a bomb. If you take off your bracelet, you get harassed. And when you take off your bracelet, it pulls off the hair on your wrist.

It's an impossible place to like if you're a simulcast horse player.

This is spot on. Make the OTB's into destinations by themselves and people will pick up the game. They also would be better congregation spots for regular horseplayers, since racetracks are usually out of the way and too hard to commute to regularly. NYCOTB did a ton to set back the game in public perception. Off-track betting parlors, when they're clean, have booze, good food and no riff-raff, will be places of interest in a city dying for somewhere to legally gamble and socialize.

I'm completely sympathetic to those who grew up with and loved Suffolk being sad to see it go. But the product was miserable and deteriorating further every year. The disappearance of a track from an urban area doesn't need to equate to the disappearance of horseplayers from there. It can mean just the opposite, if a track left behind by time and casinos is replaced by well-run OTB parlors that will get players off their ADW accounts now and then and can make playing the horses seem glamorous and cool again to the uninitiated.

[Arletta]

Article from our one and only Chuck Simon

http://agameofskill.com/small-track-...-horse-racing/

[Suffolk Shippers]

Steve, very interesting from Mr. Welch on your program this morning re: Suffolk and Stronach. Tim Rivto, speaking on behalf of Stronach saying they're looking at all "wayward" tracks (in terms of profitability) and coming in and running those tracks. Any number of tracks fall into that bucket, AP, SUF, Colonial, FG...

Sounds like if the casino law remains intact post-election, they could be interested based on the revenue that will be skimmed off the casinos and put into the horse racing development fund. I have heard media reports say that fund could reach $100m in the next decade. Very interesting development.

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by Suffolk Shippers

Steve, very interesting from Mr. Welch on your program this morning re: Suffolk and Stronach. Tim Rivto, speaking on behalf of Stronach saying they're looking at all "wayward" tracks (in terms of profitability) and coming in and running those tracks. Any number of tracks fall into that bucket, AP, SUF, Colonial, FG...

Sounds like if the casino law remains intact post-election, they could be interested based on the revenue that will be skimmed off the casinos and put into the horse racing development fund. I have heard media reports say that fund could reach $100m in the next decade. Very interesting development.

How about that? Maybe I missed it elsewhere, but was news to me. And it sounded exactly as you suggest: That Stronach is monitoring and considering opportunities at any and all of the venues that are in question.

The development fund in MA is projected to reach $140,000,000.

[Suffolk Shippers]

The New England horseman have brought on former Suffolk COO Lou Raffetto to be their point person on working with the owners to lease the track and run in 2015. Raffetto revived the track in the early 1990's after it had shut down and then was running the MD tracks.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/201...MwN/story.html

He predates my knowledge of the game to any extent. Not sure if this is a good, bad or indifferent thing for Suffolk Downs.

[Alabama Stakes]

Lou Raffeto knows what he's doing. we might be all right

[Suffolk Shippers]

So, the first hurdle in the way for any kind of a return for Suffolk Downs was the ballot initiative on casino gaming. A yes vote would have repealed the law allowing casinos and a no was to keep status quo. "No" won handsomely, 59%-41%, I believe.

This means casino construction will move forward and the slots parlor at Plainridge Harness (run by Penn National) is set to open in 2015. This will start feeding money to the horse industry fund, which the New England Horsemen and Lou Raffetto hopes to use in some fashion to continue operations under a lease agreement with Suffolk's ownership team.

I believe the next "big" date is mid-November when the racing/gaming commission is set to award 2015 dates. The horsemen applied for one day in hopes to amend that and run around 60 days.