Hundreds of members of the horse racing industry showed up to push lawmakers to save their sport
Members of the horse racing industry pushed legislators to allow slot machines in the state's race tracks, including Monmouth Park.EAST RUTHERFORD — Democrats kicked off their second "gaming summit" yesterday with a message: It would not be a fight between the northern and southern regions of the state, but a forum for ideas on how to save New Jersey’s struggling horse racing industry.
"This is not about north versus south. This is not Meadowlands versus Atlantic City," said state Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen).
But lawmakers heard from witness after witness — labor leaders, horsemen, businessmen, academics — calling on them to allow gaming at the Meadowlands, which proponents estimate would generate hundreds of millions of dollars and would help the beleaguered racetrack compete with so-called "Racinos" in New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Those who said they opposed the idea were often booed by some in the audience, filled with hundreds of people involved in the horse racing industry and union members who work in the Meadowlands sports complex, where yesterday’s summit took place.
After about four hours, state Sen. Jim Whelan, a former mayor of Atlantic City, grew exasperated. Gov. Chris Christie had endorsed a report, authored by former New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority Chairman Jon Hanson, that took gambling at the Meadowlands off the table — at least for now. Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) was also against the idea.
The report also calls for an end of a $30 million annual subsidy casinos pay the race tracks so they won’t lobby to have gaming. "If we’re just going to argue about casinos in the Meadowlands or slots... how is that productive?" Whelan said. "Pardon my venting, but it needs to be said."
Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex) spoke up to disagree, promising witnesses’ testimony would not fall on "deaf ears."
"We will allow a free and open discussion," she said.
Assemblyman Ralph Caputo (D-Essex), a former casino executive and, said just because the governor nixed the idea doesn’t mean they shouldn’t consider it. "Nobody should back off an idea out of fear, out of authority, either because someone’s bigger than you or stronger than you," he said.
The argument threatened to obscure a number of points lawmakers from both regions agreed on.
Casinos and horse tracks in New Jersey are in decline. Last month, Atlantic City casinos’ revenue dipped by 11.3 percent. The Sports and Exposition Authority, which made $19.6 million from racing in 2005, lost $9.7 million on its two horse racing tracks last year, said Sports Authority spokesman John Samerjan. Since 2005, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware have added slot machines to some of their racetracks.
Lawmakers did not support an option the Hanson Report laid out that would end live racing at the Meadowlands. They agreed on state Sen. Ray Lesniak’s (D-Union) proposal to allow New Jersey companies to set up online gambling for state residents and supported his lawsuit to allow the state to have sports betting.
They also agreed the Hanson Report did not do enough to save horse racing, which they stressed involved not only the tracks but thousands of jobs and open space all over the state.
Sweeney said he did agree with the Hanson Report’s recommendation to offer tax incentives to jump-start Xanadu, a $2 billion entertainment and retail complex that has been stalled for over a year.
"I think that’s the only way we’re going to get Xanadu finished, if there is a public piece to it," he said.
The next gaming summit is scheduled for Sept. 29 at the Monmouth Park racetrack. The first summit took place Aug. 6 in Atlantic City.