The blue ribbon commission the governor of New Jersey established to work on the future of racing met for the second time this week. It would be nice to think the casino industry and horse racing would realize they need each other at this time. Unfortunately, it was the same old same old. Joe Fusco, representing the casino industry, refused to mention racinos and said racing needs to concentrate on improving its own business. Thomas Luchento, the head of the SBOANJ, said the casino industry should concentrate on fixing their own problems and leave racing alone. Both sides have valid points. Racing does need to work on improving their product and not rely solely on VLTs; at best they are a crutch which will stabilize things but unless the racing product is improved and more people become interested in it, the crutch will be taken away. Atlantic City casino interests need to recognize the landscape has changed; the days of Atlantic City being an east coast gambling destination are long gone.
While one can hope what we are seeing is initial posturing by both sides, racing and the casino industry would best take heed of State Senator Jennifer Beck's comments where she noted this is not a case of racing versus casinos, but New Jersey versus Pennsylvania, New York and Delaware. Senator Beck is correct, the future success of the casino and racing industries are linked together and it is time to come up with a solution which benefits both industries. Business in Atlantic City will continue to decline. The slot parlors in Delaware, Pennsylvania and New York are not going away. Delaware is introducing table games to their racinos; it is just a matter of time until table games come to Pennsylvania and eventually New York (in NY, they have approved the installation of video versions of table games in the racinos) making Atlantic City less desirable a destination. The casino industry needs to recognize the only way to increase their revenue in New Jersey is to allow VLTs in the racetracks and come up with a way to manage their operation. There will be a need at some point to get a new constitutional amendment to permit table games at locations outside of Atlantic City and the easiest path for the amendment's ratification is by expanding casino gambling to the racetracks. The racetracks' need for additional revenue for purses will become even greater and they know VLTs are the answer in the short term and the quickest way to get them in will be in partnership with the casino industry.
Hopefully both sides will stop the posturing and get to work on a mutually beneficial agreement. They will either grow together or wither apart.
At the Meadowlands and many other tracks, when the judges post the inquiry or objection sign, fans/gamblers get to see the video the judges are reviewing so they can see what the potential problem is and speculate if there will be a placing or not. If nothing else is accomplished, the fan is kept involved rather than sitting there for five to ten minutes twiddling their fingers waiting for the judges to rule. Surprisingly, this is not the case at all tracks. For example, if there is an inquiry or an objection at Monticello, all you see is the tote board while waiting for a decision to be made. If there is a placing, you will see the offense but otherwise, you never get a chance to see what the judges are reviewing.
There is no excuse for this secrecy. The gambler has money invested on the outcome of the judge's ruling, so they should be able to see what the judges are looking at so they can see how their interests are being protected. Those tracks which refuse to show the video review are continuing to show their contempt to those people who keep them in business. After all, without the gambler, there is no one to pay the bills. If the tracks won't voluntarily show these reviews, then the local racing commissions should require them to do so.
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