Got some information from NYRA in response to my incessant whining about the lack of improvements thus far on the racing side at the Big A....and the good news is that help is on the way. Construction of the new simulcast center, a joint Genting-NYRA project that we've heard mentioned in the past, is slated to begin in late January. "We are aiming to have it open for the Saratoga meet at the latest," Dan Silver, NYRA's Director of Communications and Media Relations, told me. "It is a $5 million project that Genting is helping us fund. It will reside on the 2nd floor, all the way from where the Man O’ War deli and bar currently sits down to the Kelso room, including the area that used to house the Genting employees."
The Kelso room is the one I referred to the other day, wondering why it was still sitting idle, and there you go. That room will be reserved for NYRA Rewards players, divided into "Elite Players" (which I am certainly not, in any sense of the word) and "Regular Players" sections. "What is currently the Man O’ War room will have a brand new sports bar and a large seating area." That section will be open to all, and the total seating capacity will be around 600. Should be really cool.
Silver also told me that Genting has applied for a liquor license for the Manhattan Terrace on the third floor. "We are hoping to have it open in two weeks and will be making general improvements to the area."
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Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Help Is On the wAy
Posted by Alan Mann at 6:31 AM
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5 Comments:
I just hope the "seating areas" are not a row of desks but rather tables.
Can anyone confirm if they've cleaned/painted the stalls in the bathrooms? I'm tired of looking at crude drawings of testicles and the like everytime I have to take a crap.
The condition books are out for January on NYRA.com if you want to see if higher purses lead to better racing cards.
Saturday Jan 7th has 2 maiden claimers, 2 $7.5k claimers and a 30k claimer. Same old same old.
Looks like the temporary NYRA takeout increase was in fact temporary except someone at NYRA misremembered to switch it back to 25%. I will accept my belated refund in free slot play.
The drf has posted a lame excuse for NYRA's neglect on the takeout issue. My 1 minute search of news articles produced the citation the "lengthy" search of news articles by the DRF could not.
http://www.drf.com/news/nyra-lowering-exotic-takeouts-offset-error
A lengthy search of news articles that examined the 2008 amendment to the betting law and its effects – including material in the Daily Racing Form archives – did not produce a single citation of the section of the law that required the Sept. 15, 2010, takeout reduction.
http://www.drf.com/news/otb-bill-boosts-simulcast-takeout
The provisions sunset after two years.
http://leftatthegate.blogspot.com/2008/06/in-otb-state-of-mind.html
If consolidation ever becomes a reality, then the one percent across the board increase in takeout which would accompany the state takeover (and which would sunset in two years, presumably when slots will be on line), might be a small price for horseplayers to ultimately pay.
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