It has been reported that Running Aces Harness Park has been dropped from proposed gaming legislation in Minnesota. As a result, a bill is being pushed to allow for VLTs at Canterbury Park alone. The main reason it is reported Running Aces got dropped from the proposed legislation is it will supposedly hurt Indian gaming interests as they are close to Indian Casinos (of course no one complains when an Indian casino opens near a racetrack). However, it is obvious the real reason they were jettisoned from the proposed legislation is they did not contribute to the start up of the lobbying gorup pushing the legislation. Even if there was some truth in the original arguement, Racino Now could not have dropped Running Aces from the legislation as they would have had a financial interest in the group.
There is no such thing as a free lunch in politics. As a result, the possibility exists that thoroughbred interests will get slot fueled purses while the standardbreds get no such boost. Granted the legislation is no sure thing, but rest assured, there will be no separate bill to allow slots at Running Aces. Also, should slots get into Canterbury Park, the chances of VLTs ever getting into Running Aces are greatly diminished.
The end result is instead of joining Racino Now in the beginning, Running Aces and harness horsemen must work towards the defeat of this legislation. Failure to stop a Canterbury only racino bill may result in the eventual demise of standardbred racing in Minnesota. When will we learn you need to spend money to get your case heard when it comes to American Politics? It's called Pay to Play.
I always like clever advertising, especially when it comes to harness racing. Take a look at these two videos (the first one comes to my attention from Standardbred Canada blogger, Jeff Porchak). Do you think if we ran advertisements like these instead of our typical ones we may be able to attract some newcomers to the sport?
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