Gov. Christie signs revised N.J. sports betting bill

New Jersey Governor Christie on Friday signed a revised sports betting bill, and Monmouth Park officials almost simultaneously said they would offer betting on National Football League games at the horse track on Oct. 26. “The Governor’s signature on S2460 earlier today is a wire-to-wire winner for horse racing, the gaming industry and the people of… Read the rest of this entry »

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Kyrillos and Lesniak Fast Track Sports Betting Legislation

Sen. Joe Kyrillos

Senators Joe Kyrillos (R-Monmouth) and Ray Lesniak have teamed up to sponsor legislation that will counter the professional sports leagues latest attempts to block sports betting in New Jersey.

The bill, which will be introduced during the Senate’s next session, would explicitly abolish language in state law that prohibits sports betting, a move that would reinforce the state attorney general’s effort to lift the injunction preventing the state from moving forward on plans to allow casinos and racetracks to accept wagers on sporting events. The measure would also prohibit the transport of sports-betting equipment across state lines and set an age requirement of 21 years old.

Last month acting Attorney General John Hoffman issued a directive that instructed law enforcement not to prosecute sports betting at racetracks and casinos.  The Christie Administration asked U. S. District Judge Michael Shipp to rule that New Jersey is not violating federal law by decriminalizing sports betting  and allowing private entities to operate and regulate the betting.

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Horse Parade in Freehold on Saturday

There will be a parade of horses in Freehold on Saturday as the 3rd annual Open Space Pace and Festival of Horses kicks off at 10am.

The free, all day event starts with a parade past the Hall of Records and continuing to Freehold Raceway.  At the racetrack, there will be educational exhibits, amateur horse races, under-saddle races, and many more fun events for all ages. The standard race card will begin at 12:30pm. Between races, we will have live music and family-friendly entertainment. After the races there will be a concert and fireworks.

The Open Space Pace seeks to highlight the relationship between the horse and open space in New Jersey. The Open Space Pace is a non-profit corporation seeking 501 (c)(3) status, formed to create an annual event at Freehold Raceway to celebrate the New Jersey State Animal, the Horse, and all of the people that work with this great animal. This event will raise necessary funds for nonprofits that work with horses and other non-profit organizations involved in the promotion of open space.

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Atlantic City’s winning formula

Is anyone surprised that New Jersey’s efforts to revitalize Atlantic City are failing?

The news that AC’s latest hope for revival, Revel, is on the verge of bankruptcy and foreclosure is no shock.   As Trump’s multiple bankruptcies over the years demonstrated, casino lenders are the biggest losers, next to bussed in seniors lured by a free roll of quarters, in AC.

Vice has always been the key to Atlantic City’s economic viability.  For good reason.  The place is a dump.  You have to drive through a swamp to get there.   It is very inconvenient.  The lure of doing something enjoyable that is forbidden elsewhere has been the key to Atlantic City’s economy since the days of Nucky Thompson.

Now that legalized gambling is available in more convenient places and liquor is legal most everywhere, Atlantic City is doomed, unless it comes up with a new vice to make available.

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Exodus of Perretti Farms Stallions Creates Challenge for New Jersey’s Horse Racing Future

MANALAPAN,  NJ – November 30, 2012 — The loss of New Jersey stallions to slots-enriched  programs in other states is now a reality.

Perretti  Farms in Cream Ridge, NJ has announced that it has moved two of the harness  racing industry’s premier stallions to Pennsylvania for the 2013 breeding  season.

Muscles  Yankee and Rocknroll Hanover will be relocated from Perretti’s 1,000 acres of  prime farmland in Upper Freehold Township across the state line to Newtown, PA  to take advantage of the casino-enriched purses in Pennsylvania, especially the  Pennsylvania Sire Stakes program.

The  New Jersey Sire Stakes program, which for three decades was the model for other  states and provinces, is now one of the weakest because of the paucity of purse  money.

New  Jersey is no longer competitive, putting more than 170,000 acres of equine  farmland in jeopardy,” said Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association  President Tom Luchento.  “Without a healthy breeding program, the stallions  and broodmares will move – have moved — to adjoining states where they are  flushed with the cash from casinos and racinos [racetracks with casino-style  wagering].

“Not  only is the preservation of farmland at stake, but also more than 10,000 jobs  currently filled by tax-paying residents who are ill-equipped to change careers  and will end up on welfare rolls,” Luchento added.

Trenton  continues to focus on ways to improve Atlantic City and other businesses which  provide fewer jobs, while the horseracing industry gets pushed aside,” Luchento  said.  “They have tried to Band-Aid the problem with a few short term  solutions.  Meanwhile, the wound continues to grow, and the decision by  Perretti Farms is a pure product of that injury.

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Oceanport Councilman Joe Irace’s remarks to the Assembly Regulartory Oversight and Gaming Committee, July 19, 2012

Chairman Ramos, and members of the Assembly Regulatory Oversight and Gaming Committee, thank you for inviting me to speak before you today on this

important topic. I am Oceanport Councilman Joseph Irace.

When the State of New Jersey voted to allow casino gambling in Atlantic City in 1976, it marked the dawn of an era wherein, for close to a decade and a half, New Jersey had a de facto monopoly on casino gambling on the East Coast.  That era ended in 1992 with the advent of  Foxwoods Resort Casino.  In the years since then, we have seen a steady encroachment upon Atlantic City’s position as the premier East Coast destination for casino type gambling.  New York, Connecticut, Delaware, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland now offer substantial gaming options to the general public. Indeed, as of April of 2012, Pennsylvania’s gaming industry was second only to that of Las Vegas. Quite clearly, the landscape has changed immeasurably since 1976 and New Jersey’s stranglehold on the East Coast gaming industry is no more.  This isn’t an Atlantic City gaming industry problem, it is a New Jersey business development and retention problem.

Similarly, three decades ago, the State of New Jersey was a pre-eminent player in the horseracing industry.  The Meadowlands, Freehold Raceway, Monmouth Park, Atlantic City Race Course and Garden State Park — the latter three called the “Golden Triangle” of New Jersey racing — all offered top notch, stakes level horse racing at quality venues.  As we are all aware, the New Jersey horseracing industry has suffered setbacks over the past few decades and the root of these setbacks can be traced to the same source as that which has negatively impacted on Atlantic City.  New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia have all committed to the Racino business model and this has placed the State of New Jersey’s horseracing industry at a decided disadvantage.  Again, this isn’t a horseracing industry problem, it is a New Jersey business development and retention problem.

For far too long now, New Jersey’s gaming industry and New Jersey’s horse racing industry circled each other warily as opponents.  It is high time that they stop viewing each other as competitors and start viewing themselves as comrades at arms with a singular purpose: melding both industries in such a fashion that New Jersey once again becomes the East Coast’s premier gaming AND horse racing destination.  Based on the revenues generated by Racinos in the surrounding states and across the nation, the question of whether or not these two industries can co-exist, and indeed THRIVE, is no longer arguable.  Quite simply, if New Jersey’s gaming and horse-racing industries fail to embrace this new business model, both will perish and the State of New Jersey will be lesser for it.

Our elected officials and both industries need to stop thinking parochially and start thinking globally.  The infrastructure, manpower and talent are already in place.  We just need the desire and commitment to get this done, and get it done sooner rather than later.  The State of New Jersey has waited long enough to get its act together.  The states that have already embraced the Racino business model have demonstrated that what is good for the horseracing industry is good for the gaming industry and vice versa.  More importantly, what’s good for those industries is also good for all of New Jersey. 

I implore our legislators to make every effort to convince these two parties that it is imperative that they stop competing with each other and start complementing each other in order to re-capture the hearts, minds and loyalty of their consumers. If the gaming and horse racing industries fail to adapt to the new paradigm, neither will survive.  And that won’t be a gaming or horse racing problem — that will be a tragedy for the State of New Jersey.

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Hometown Solutions: Irace On Monmouth Park, Gaming and Fort Monmouth

Oceanport Councilman Joe Irace sat down with William Richards, Director of New Media at The Hall Institute for Public Policy as part of the institute’s Hometown Solutions series.

William and Joe discuss Monmouth Park racetrack, Fort Monmouth, the challenges Oceanport has faced in recent years with uncertainty for both institutions, and what looks like a promising comeback for Monmouth Park.

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Irace blasts Trenton over Monmouth Park and Fort Monmouth

Calls on taxpayers from Oceanport and neighboring communites to join the fight

“Atlantic City is now a FAILED business model”

Oceanport Councilman Joe Irace’s remarks at the borough’s reorganization meeting today:

2011 marked a year of challenges and changes to our Borough.  Oceanport’s future well-being hinges upon two very important issues, the continued viability of Monmouth Park and the redevelopment of Fort Monmouth, neither of which is really within our control.  If these two matters aren’t addressed properly, the consequences for Oceanport and our neighboring communities will be devastating..

The more immediate of the two issues is Monmouth Park. 2011 was a year in which uncertainty was the only certainty when it came to Monmouth Park.  Was the State going to remain in control, lease or sell the park to private ownership? The decision was made to lease.  Then came numerous changes, negotiations, finger-pointing, name calling and, ultimately, a muddled picture as to who is actually in charge.  Just last week, the State decided to continue racing in 2012 under the control of the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority and rebid the lease in 2012 for the 2013 racing season.  For 2012, the current agreement, as we understand it from reading about it in the newspapers, calls for 141 racing days at an average purse of $150,000 per day.  To put that number in perspective, we were racing at $1,000,000 a day in 2010 and $400,000 a day in 2011.  The projected daily purse of $150,000 is the lowest for any major track in the United States.  In fact, at $150,000 a day in purse money, Monmouth Park, the most beautiful and historic racetrack this side of Saratoga, can no longer be considered a major track. 2012 also calls for no stakes races and, more notably, no Haskell.  The long term ramifications of this are obvious.  Is Trenton determined to undermine and eliminate racing in New Jersey? It sure seems that way. 

Trenton’s stated position is that the State of New Jersey can no longer “subsidize” horse racing in New Jersey. And, you know what? I ABSOLUTELY agree with Trenton on that issue.  Because the fact of the matter is that the horseracing industry doesn’t have to be subsidized. It just has to be allowed to compete on equal footing with horse racing in New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland.  But the big thinkers in Trenton have blinders on when it comes to the realities of horse racing and gambling in today’s world.   With the stroke of a pen, our elected officials in Trenton could permit “racinos” in New Jersey, but instead of allowing our state’s horse racing industry to compete with the gaming, racing and casinos that have popped up in New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland, our Trenton brain trust has chosen to invest $250,000,000 of taxpayer money in a stalled Atlantic City casino development. 

The Atlantic City business model is outdated.  New Jersey no longer has the monopoly on gambling that it had in the 1970s. Indeed, by any reasonable financial analysis, Atlantic City is now a FAILED business model.  But our elected officials in Trenton refuse to acknowledge this fact and, instead, have chosen to pour $250,000,000 of taxpayer money into a venture — that private firms won’t touch — in return for a 20% interest in the business.  What is 20% of nothing? We need our elected State officials to stop investing in THEIR past and start investing in OUR future.  

Monmouth Park is the Borough of Oceanport’s largest tax ratable and one of the jewels of the Jersey Shore.  Monmouth Park’s continued viability should be this governing body’s NUMBER ONE priority in the year 2012.  Oceanport’s citizens and the citizens of ALL of the Jersey Shore communities should make their voices heard on this issue.  We aren’t asking for a handout from the State! We just want New Jersey to be able to compete on equal footing with New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland.   We’ve got the infrastructure, we’ve got the people, we’ve got the horses. We just need the tools. The State of New Jersey needs to adopt the Racino business model NOW!

As far as the redevelopment of Fort Monmouth is concerned, this issue will present huge challenges as we head into 2012 and well beyond.  Decisions made today will have an impact – one way or another — on Oceanport for the next 25 years and beyond.  When we unsuccessfully battled for local control of the 419 acres that are located in Oceanport, we were concerned over what the State would do to our small, family oriented, residential community.  Today, rumors abound that our 2nd largest employer, CommVault, which ranks only behind only the embattled Monmouth Park as a source of employment, has been lured to the Tinton Falls section of the Fort Monmouth site. It is believed that this move is premised upon large tax breaks and tax credits being given to CommVault by the people who are charged with the duty of redeveloping the fort while creating jobs.  This isn’t job creation, however, it is job poaching.  And the Borough of Oceanport loses a business to Tinton Falls under the guise of “job development” at the fort.  How can this be a good idea? 

I am cynical, at best, about the State of New Jersey’s ability to create jobs at the fort, especially in view of the State’s past record in this area.  That is to say, the State of New Jersey doesn’t have a history of creating jobs— other than government jobs.  Stated simply, government does not have the ability to create private sector jobs and the historic and profound lack of accountability at the State level is all the more reason why the Oceanport Municipal Council fought long and hard for local control over the fort’s redevelopment.  Sadly, we lost that battle. Now it is this governing body’s duty — and the duty of all members who follow us —- to make sure that we don’t lose the war.  We must remain vigilant and continue to demand that we have a voice in the redevelopment process, not just a seat at the table.  We cannot stand idly by as the bureaucrats and politicians try to fit square pegs into round holes in the name of “job creation”  The only thing worse than doing nothing about the redevelopment of the fort is doing something badly, and that’s where I am afraid we are heading.  And this isn’t just an Oceanport issue any more.  A bungled fort redevelopment will have a devastating financial and social impact on Monmouth Beach, Long Branch, Little Silver, Fair Haven, Rumson and Sea Bright, too.  The citizens of those towns should be just as concerned as we are that the fort gets redeveloped properly and organically.   If we expect to be heard, then we all have to involve ourselves in the process.

Bureaucrats and politicians have come to expect — and, indeed, thrive on — an apathetic electorate and they have no incentive to do the will of the taxpayer if they have no fear of the taxpayer’s wrath.  We, as a governing body, have a duty to educate the people who elected us about what is actually happening at the fort and involve them in the process as much as possible. Those who elected us, however, have to be willing to stand up and be counted by attending and, more importantly, PARTICIPATING in meetings of the Fort Monmouth Economic Redevelopment Authority and the Oceanport Borough Council so that we can fight the good fight for our community.

In closing, we have a lot of work cut out for us.  We must continue our fight to protect the Oceanport that we all know and love.  All of us who live here and raise our families here know that we have a lot to lose, and we have only ourselves to blame if we let others dictate our destiny.  You’ve got a governing body that has proven that it is willing to fight for our right to control our own destiny.  None of us have any political aspirations beyond that of serving the people of Oceanport. Help us take the fight to the powers that be.  Stand up for yourselves.  Get vocal. Stay vocal. Get involved.  Stay involved. We need you. We need each other. Let’s work together for a better Oceanport in 2012

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Monmouth Park Will Remain Open Through 2012

State officials and representitives of the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association came to terms on an agreement that will keep Monmouth Park operating through 2012.

Bob Jordan has the story at Captial Quickies.

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Oceanport Offers To Take Over Monmouth Park As Transitional Measure

The Borough of Oceanport, home of Monmouth Park, 1/3 of Fort Monmouth and 6,000 residents has offered to serve as a temporary landlord and transitional vehicle of the racetrack, according to NJ.com.

In a letter to Governor Chris Christie , Mayor Michael J. Mahon offered the borough’s resources and commitment to resolve the current differences and provide a new model for sustainability for the park.

The deal to transfer Monmouth Park from state control, under the auspices of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, to a private management by developer and casino investor Morris Bailey fell apart earlier this monthover a dispute between the state and the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association over racing date licenses.  On Monday, Christie said the horsemen had a week to come up with an acceptable proposal or risk the park’s closure.

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