Saturday, Cohen talks Upstate/Downstate...p2 April 9, 2011 More Slots Trouble For Md. Racing?...p3 For more information on Harness Racing Offenberg Takes Amateur Series Leg..p4 Update, call (732) 530-6678 [email protected] Previews....p4 www.harnessracingupdate.com Results Begin...p6 Despite Loss of Siebel, TVG Says It’s Even with Seibel, many harness fans have been let Committed to Harness Racing down by TVG's coverage of the sport. While the network By Jay Bergman does feature Yonkers Raceway on Monday nights, by Gary Seibel, one of the principle voices for harness Tuesday they are off covering four non-descript thorough- racing on TVG since its inception in 1999, was let go last bred tracks during the prime evening hours. week along with 19 other colleagues. The news sent Burn saw some positives in New York after the demise shockwaves through the standardbred sport as many of NYC OTB this past December. "There have been wondered aloud whether Seibel's departure, after some 12 encouraging increases in wagering and in the number of years on the job, was a signal that TVG was moving away account holders that could very well be attributed to from the sulky sport. NYC-OTB discontinuing operations," he said. Stephen Burn, CEO of Betfair TVG put Yet it would seem as if NYRA has been a much greater an end to the rumors this week. beneficiary of business from the failed OTB operation. "TVG remains committed to providing This past Monday TVG had to suspend all wagering the highest level of standardbred cover- operations for Harrah's Chester. Burn shed some light on age in the industry. TVG presents live the situation which all hope will be rectified in the near coverage from North America's premier future. harness racing venues, including exclu- "Citing procedural issues, the Commonwealth Court of sive coverage from Woodbine," Burn said. Pennsylvania has vacated the Pennsylvania Harness Whether TVG can present harness rac- Racing Commission's (PHRC) approval authorizing Let go by TVG, ing with the same dynamic it did prior to Harrah's Chester's advance deposit wagering services. Gary Siebel Seibel's departure remains to be seen. Harrah's Chester intends to seek new approvals from the With his wealth of experience and knowledge in the sport, PHRC which should enable it to resume services," Burn Seibel was able to keep TVG customers informed and up pointed out. (Cont.) to speed about the latest in the world of harness racing. While TVG did let go of 20 people, it should be noted that only three were "On-Air" personalities with the other 17 coming from the production area. The exchange wager- ing giant Betfair took control of TVG a little more than two years ago and it seems they are making changes. "We are restructuring segments of company operations, including streamlining some production roles and automat- ing some sections of the network," Burn said. "One result of this is the elimination of approximately 20 positions from TVG's workforce. Any job losses are regrettable, particu- larly those involving people who have given many years of loyal service. We will continue to invest in our business and are committed to delivering the high quality program- ming and service our customers have come to expect." For Seibel who relocated to California to take the TVG position and loves the left coast, the decision of the com- pany has given him time to reflect. "TVG was a great employer," he said. "They've always been great to me. What happened to me and the others is the same thing that's happened to so many others in this country during the last few years. "I'm going to take some time off to relax for the next couple of months. I'd certainly love to stay in horse racing." Seibel had high praise for those he worked with as a group of professionals. "I am very grateful to the people I worked with an espe- cially to the fans who have always treated me very well," he said. HarnessRacingUpdate.com • 4/9/11 • PAGE 2 of 9 "During the interim, Harrah's Chester account holders will be unable to wager on tracks previously offered to custom- April 15 Payment Deadline for all ers." Hambletonian Society-Serviced Stakes Seibel, who has been co-host on Hambletonian telecasts and Breeders Crown telecasts in the sport, enjoyed the •Breeders Crown 2 & 3-year-olds national exposure he was able to give harness racing in •Bobby Quillen Memorial Pace his tenure at TVG. •Circle City 2-year-olds "I'd like to thank all of the people in the industry for their •Earl Beal Jr. Memorial Trot support and friendship," he concluded. •The Elevation 2-year-old Pacing Colts •Kentuckiana Stallion Mgt. Filly Pace & Trot •Matron Series 2-year-olds •Matron Series 3-year-olds •Monument Circle 3-year-olds •Oliver Trotting Classic 3-year-olds Upstate, Downstate Atlantic City casino earnings fell a staggering 27 percent in 2010 and you can bet the news will somehow, someway have repercussions upon the Garden State's commitment to horse racing in general and to the future development of Mail payments to: the Meadowlands in particular. The Tropicana Casino and Hambletonian Society, Cranbury Gates Office Park, Resort was the exception to the rule, however. It posted 109 S. Main St., Suite 18, Cranbury, NJ 08512. higher operating profits for the whole year, results the (609) 371-2211 company's gleeful CEO attributed to the casino's empha- For more information visit sis on "high-end" table games. You can bet that this nug- www.hambletonian.org get, too, will garner a lot of attention on the Boardwalk and in Trenton. If nothing else, these two news items of the week sup- port the idea some of us in harness racing discussed last into Atlantic City or how differently the state's gaming and summer; a two-tiered approach to racing and gaming in tourism leaders handle business. Jeff Gural and his team New Jersey. You'd have a world-class racino at the Mead- understand this. So do many political leaders in New owlands centering the slots business upstate. And you'd Jersey. And so some developers who lick their chops have Atlantic City trending toward what the Tropicana has when they see a casino built where the existing Big M done—established itself as a "higher-end" destination for grandstand now stands (don't forget. If things go well, major players. The racing/gaming industry could pull in a there will be a new "racing" grandstand across the track). whole new generation of customers from right across the Right now, Atlantic City needs the Meadowlands more Hudson River in Manhattan-- and then siphon off the than it knows—or at least is wiling to admit. serious "table game" players to the Jersey Shore. We keep hearing from the casino lobby, and their politi- Think that eliminating some of Atlantic City's slots and cal bagmen, that the proper response to Atlantic City's some of those "low-end" customers would pull some East woes is to pour more money into downstate gaming oper- Coast players back from Las Vegas? You bet. And it's not ations. But not only is that "rescue" too little, too late, it's like the state (or the gaming corporations) would be losing also completely unsupported by the facts on the ground. that revenue. Those little old ladies wouldn't have to It's not just bad policy. It's proven conclusively already to schlep down to the Shore to gamble. They'd just come be a bad bet. New Jersey will never be able to compete through the Lincoln tunnel and, presto, Exit 16W. I hope with its neighbors unless and until it fully utilizes its most some of the business people who are pondering Atlantic important venue—the Big M—for racing and gaming. It's City's gloomy future—and those politicians who, like Gov. no more complicated than that but I guess it will take a few Chris Christie, are giving tax breaks to casinos as they more dismal years for Atlantic City before the big gaming fight to layoff teachers—think about it, too. It's the only corporations come around. win-win situation for the state, the horse and gaming in- In the meantime, and on the bright side, it feels these dustries, and, ultimately, the taxpayers. days like you can almost reach out and touch the momen- Otherwise, New Jersey's gaming interests are going to tum being generated across harness racing with the offer- continue to get slaughtered—27 percent!-- by competition ing of all the various wagering initiatives.” from neighboring states no matter how much money pours Cohen, cont., p. 3 HarnessRacingUpdate.com • 4/9/11 • PAGE 3 of 9 “Like everyone else, I'm delighted with Plainridge's suc- cess since it made the move, and pleased Yonkers is getting more aggressive, and I applaud Mike Tanner at the United States Trotting Association for pushing for the "Strategic Plan." Of course, nothing is perfect. But the level of attention being (rightly) focused toward the cus- tomers we need—bettors--- is great to see. And so are the More Slots Trouble for Racing? results. In spite of all the marketing mistakes we've made The Associated Press reports that Maryland senate as an industry, in spite of all the lost opportunities over the budget leaders are considering cutting two race tracks out decades, evidently people still will bet on harness racing if the price is right.