New Jersey Casinos Versus Horse Racing
Gambling in New Jersey is a mess. Competition from other states and the recession are tearing things apart. Beyond that the government can’t get casinos and horse racing tracks to even acknowledge each other. Both are in different states of chaos and are, seemingly, not willing to work together for the greater good.
Representatives of the longtime rival industries couldn’t even agree on what to discuss Wednesday at a meeting of a new commission charged with saving the state’s four horse racing tracks.
Track officials wanted to talk about “racinos,” the electronic betting parlors that have been introduced at 36 race tracks in 15 states since 1995. However, Joseph Fusco, a spokesman for the Casino Association of New Jersey, spoke for 20 minutes at the meeting without even mentioning the word.
Senator Jennifer Beck puts the situation in the right context.
“It’s not horse racing versus casinos,” state Sen. Jennifer Beck, of Red Bank, reminded members at Wednesday’s meeting of the Governor’s Commission on the Horse Racing Industry. “It’s New Jersey versus Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and New York.”
Ultimately, it should not be up to casinos to save the horse racing in New Jersey. The better the industry does as a whole, the more revenue gaming will take in and more money the state will receive. This will lead to taxes being raised less on residents. With that being said it should be on the government to put the two segments of the industry together and have them produce a winning solution for both the consumer and for the state.
I’m not one for racinos because they don’t provide enough of the escape I want when I take a trip to a casino. Racinos in New Jersey would do a few things:
- Bring people out to horse racing.
- Increase race track revenues.
- Force casinos to increase what they offer consumers – better restaurants, better table odds, nicer rooms.
All of this is good for the consumer. It would increase gambling “product.” Potentially it would increase gaming revenues to the government because of easier access. It would force casinos to upgrade across the board. Casinos will complain because this will cost money in the short term. In the long term Atlantic City casinos that upgrade will have a much better product to offer consumers. Possibly at higher prices than they can charge today.
Based on my limited understanding of things, there seems to be a big divide between those who bet horses and those who gamble in other ways. Yes, it’s all gambling, but apparently not all gambling styles were created equal. I remember some quotes from Philly Park horse bettors where they indicated strong disapproval for the casino. It’ll be interesting to see if this carries over into NJ. If the NJ horsetracks are in as bad shape as you indicate, you would think the horse bettors would take any lifeboat. Instead, they may end up complaining about the color of said lifeboat, while the ship ends up sinking.
I get the same sense about the gamblers, but I think this is more about the people in charge saving their industry. Gamblers will always find a way to gamble if they want to.